Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. Boosts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,701 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 3.5% of Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased 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 worth $696,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $3.01 during trading on Monday, hitting $240.74. The stock had a trading volume of 184,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,312. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $237.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.18. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $262.23. The stock has a market cap of $69.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

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.