Investment Management Corp of Ontario Purchases 3,100 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 47.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,609 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $221.47 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $64.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.81.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 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.