Lountzis Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 965 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lountzis Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,544,000 after acquiring an additional 788,735 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $173,692,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $655,149,000 after acquiring an additional 688,296 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,031,167,000 after acquiring an additional 346,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $75,493,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $233.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 59,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,396,951. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $67.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.66, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $237.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. 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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James reduced their target price on 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 upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.