Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Acquires 3,035 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 157,038 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,035 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $37,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,580,000 after acquiring an additional 46,668 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $165,967,000 after acquiring an additional 6,052 shares during the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the third quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,729 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 stock opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $234.64 and a 200 day moving average of $234.32. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.