Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,736,258 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 167,033 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $405,726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.04 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $234.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.64 billion, a PE ratio of 51.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.