Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Acquires 73,108 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 93.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 151,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 73,108 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB owned about 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $36,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $221.04 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $231.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company has a market capitalization of $63.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.