Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $7.73 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 58.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,734 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,331 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 1,096 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the third quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $246.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.42, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.85 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $238.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.98 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.17.

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.