Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after buying an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,389 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,580,000 after acquiring an additional 46,668 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,334,000 after acquiring an additional 37,851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $165,967,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $224.14 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $64.79 billion, a PE ratio of 37.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $236.03 and its 200 day moving average is $234.89. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James lowered their target price 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 Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.