NS Partners Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

NS Partners Ltd boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,301 shares during the period. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 843.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 29,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.6% in the first quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.5% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 1,821 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $297,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $222.73 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James cut their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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 note on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI boosted 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.