Short Interest in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Grows By 33.8%

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, an increase of 33.8% from the August 15th total of 1,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,360,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.14 on Monday, reaching $234.04. The company had a trading volume of 948,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,421,850. The firm has a market cap of $67.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $234.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.60. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,181,483,000 after buying an additional 302,893 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,146,374,000 after buying an additional 87,230 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,031,167,000 after buying an additional 346,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,147,000 after acquiring an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.