Fiera Capital Corp Has $388.72 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fiera Capital Corp cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,612,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 116,688 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.2% of Fiera Capital Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Fiera Capital Corp owned 0.56% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $388,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Abound Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE BDX traded up $2.99 during trading on Friday, hitting $230.10. 791,878 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,388,830. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89. The firm has a market cap of $66.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.62, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $237.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

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.