Point72 Europe London LLP Invests $19.50 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Point72 Europe London LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 79,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $19,503,000. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 2.4% of Point72 Europe London LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after buying an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after purchasing an additional 304,629 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $761,798,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,897 shares of company stock worth $2,100,579 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $4.61 on Tuesday, reaching $234.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,132,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,462,012. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.89 billion, a PE ratio of 51.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $224.00 and a one year high of $287.32. The business’s 50-day moving average is $235.56 and its 200 day moving average is $238.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. 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.