Bellevue Group AG Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bellevue Group AG boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 415,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,632 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.6% of Bellevue Group AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Bellevue Group AG owned 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $102,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BOKF NA raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 8,632 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,107,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $75,493,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 3,845 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 14,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,697,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Longview Partners Guernsey LTD boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.9% in the first quarter. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD now owns 2,321,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $574,439,000 after acquiring an additional 170,500 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup dropped 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $4.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $237.30. 1,384,408 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,257,695. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.14. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $286.46. The company has a market cap of $68.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.