MAI Capital Management Sells 2,470 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

MAI Capital Management trimmed its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 35,812 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,470 shares during the quarter. MAI Capital Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,634,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Gilbert & Cook Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $647,000. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 857,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $206,816,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 778 shares during the period. Alpha Family Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $217,000. Finally, Phraction Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 43,883 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 1,276 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $224.14 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $236.03 and its 200 day moving average is $234.89. 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 cap of $64.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.73, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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 report on Friday, July 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.