Glenmede Trust Co. NA Raises Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 119,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,048 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $28,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.5% during the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 47,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,341,000 after buying an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. M.D. Sass LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,653,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $265,000. Finally, J. Stern & Co. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $60,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James dropped their target price 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.32. The stock has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. 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 fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.97%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.