Mizuho Securities USA LLC Cuts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,743 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,536 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 843.7% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 1,821 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 37,851 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $225.21 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $235.35 and a 200 day moving average of $234.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.91, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James dropped their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.