Birch Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Birch Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,434 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and comprises approximately 2.2% of Birch Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and were worth $3,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Dimension Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Kempen Capital Management N.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Fort Pitt Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 83.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.98 on Thursday, reaching $243.04. 7,697 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,317,281. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $243.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $243.60. The company has a market capitalization of $70.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.38, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.79. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $219.50 and a twelve month high of $284.97.

Becton, Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $1.41. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.87 billion. Becton, Dickinson and had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 13.30%. The company’s revenue was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.5 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 10th were paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Becton, Dickinson and’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.55%.

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 29th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Becton, Dickinson and from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $276.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and from $273.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley raised Becton, Dickinson and from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $262.00 to $297.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and from a “conviction-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Becton, Dickinson and currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.08.

About Becton, Dickinson and

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products worldwide. The company's BD Medical segment offers peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detection, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, sharps disposal systems; infusion pumps, dedicated disposables, IV fluids, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing, automated supply management systems, medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes care; and prefillable drug delivery systems.

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