Candriam S.C.A. Purchases 3,172 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Candriam S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 241,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,172 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $56,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Raymond James decreased their price target 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. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $232.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $234.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.96. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $269.52. The firm has a market cap of $67.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.24, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio 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.