Shariaportfolio Inc. Grows Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Shariaportfolio Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.0% of Shariaportfolio Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Shariaportfolio Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,146,374,000 after acquiring an additional 87,230 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 105,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Longview Partners Guernsey LTD lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD now owns 2,321,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $574,439,000 after buying an additional 170,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $269.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.57. The company has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 50.94, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped 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 research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target 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. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

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.