Fruth Investment Management Sells 200 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fruth Investment Management lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 59,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,481,000 after purchasing an additional 5,006 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of BDX opened at $240.02 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $262.23. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $236.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.25. The company has a market capitalization of $69.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped 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. Citigroup raised shares of 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

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.