Townsquare Capital LLC Boosts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 3,845 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,296,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,200,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.6% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,294,000 after buying an additional 4,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 78,299 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $19,375,000 after acquiring an additional 4,792 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $234.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.