Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,230 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,146,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.18 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $67.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.71 and a 200-day moving average of $235.61. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 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. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup dropped their target price 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 decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.