Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stock: Candriam S.C.A. Reduces Position

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 50,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,176 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13,900.0% during the third quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 140 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.0% in the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 152.2% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $208.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Weiss Ratings raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $195.47.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total value of $628,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,134,230. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,462 shares of company stock worth $1,456,770. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE BDX opened at $215.13 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $59.28 billion, a PE ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a fifty day moving average of $188.68 and a 200 day moving average of $170.32. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $138.31 and a 1 year high of $216.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 10th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.45%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies.

BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.