Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Focus Financial Network Inc.

Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,541 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after buying an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after buying an additional 172,005 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after buying an additional 19,200 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $761,798,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,539,663 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $628,440,000 after buying an additional 105,821 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.21 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $234.69. 791,370 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,929. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $233.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.14. The company has a market cap of $67.83 billion, a PE ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James lowered 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.