Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by O Brien Greene & Co. Inc

O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.8% of O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $478,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,423,353 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% during the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,544,000 after purchasing an additional 788,735 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $173,692,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,031,167,000 after purchasing an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $75,493,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI dropped their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The firm has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 50.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s fifty day moving average is $235.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.