Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Acquired by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 25.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 626,449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 128,900 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned approximately 0.22% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $107,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 16,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,788,000 after buying an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,935,029 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $443,192,000 after buying an additional 24,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.1% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 388,989 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $88,495,000 after buying an additional 120,946 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $200.82 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $188.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.58. The stock has a market cap of $57.32 billion, a PE ratio of 34.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.04%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 407 shares of company stock worth $73,922. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.91.

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.