Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Boosted by Private Trust Co. NA

Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the quarter. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research 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. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $224.20 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. 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 firm has a market cap of $64.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $234.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its 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. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

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.