The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Acquires 424,487 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 424,487 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.38% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $266,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 3,845 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,296,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 7,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $225.48 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $234.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.48. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.