Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Boosted by Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc.

Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,989 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after purchasing an additional 172,005 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,200 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $761,798,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,539,663 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $628,440,000 after buying an additional 105,821 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $4.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $241.98. 1,719,174 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,428,586. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $284.48. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.16.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Citigroup cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.