Kennedy Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 9,280 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,296,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,295,000. Norden Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $11,998,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.71 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $241.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 339,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,421,129. The firm has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $232.40 and a 200-day moving average of $236.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $284.48.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.