Quest Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 370 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $232.67 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $67.25 billion, a PE ratio of 51.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.86.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.