Park National Corp OH Grows Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Park National Corp OH boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,959 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,466,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16,974.4% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,579,386 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $272,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570,136 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $200.37 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $57.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $189.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.