Cornerstone Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cornerstone Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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 report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

BDX opened at $225.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $235.35 and its 200 day moving average is $234.65. The stock has a market cap of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 63.97%.

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.