Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. Has $5.73 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 51.0% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 24,535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,290 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.8% of Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $761,798,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $478,295,000 after buying an additional 1,423,353 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $314,544,000 after acquiring an additional 788,735 shares during the period. M&G Plc bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $173,692,000. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $173,347,000 after acquiring an additional 383,485 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $2.31 on Friday, hitting $236.33. 915,895 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,447,671. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $233.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.21. The company has a market cap of $68.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.