Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 3,184 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,184 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after acquiring an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after acquiring an additional 460,440 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,181,483,000 after acquiring an additional 302,893 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,031,167,000 after acquiring an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.8 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $232.24 and a 200 day moving average of $233.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is a positive change 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 currently 63.97%.

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.