First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Purchases 125 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James cut their price target on 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. Evercore ISI lifted 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $243.75 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $262.23. The firm has a market cap of $70.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.69, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.