Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,865 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $1.37 during trading on Friday, reaching $242.34. The company had a trading volume of 893,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,416,639. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.04 billion, a PE ratio of 53.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $233.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.06. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James dropped their price objective on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup reduced 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 report on Wednesday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

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.