Vest Financial LLC Has $43.97 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 188,134 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,017 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $43,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9 %

BDX stock opened at $233.66 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $67.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $234.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.73. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $269.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective 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 reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.