Physicians Financial Services Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Physicians Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,927 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. 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. Evercore ISI increased their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target 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. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $1.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $228.69. 318,370 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,386,648. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $237.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.10 billion, a PE ratio of 46.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

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.