Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Purchased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 51.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 542,142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 185,113 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $93,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $36,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $194.00 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $187.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.