PFM Health Sciences LP Sells 29,698 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

PFM Health Sciences LP lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 101,680 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 29,698 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.4% of PFM Health Sciences LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. PFM Health Sciences LP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $24,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Vestal Point Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $7,233,000. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 165.2% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 520,903 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $125,590,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% during the third quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.7% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 22,409 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,403,000 after purchasing an additional 3,376 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $221.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.14 billion, a PE ratio of 37.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.