Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,798 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $19,721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 5.5 %

BDX opened at $226.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $257.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.