Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $166.54 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lessened its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 693,836 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 53,664 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.1% of Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $166,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of 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 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in 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. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target 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. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $222.24 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.73. The company has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.41, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.