Plancorp LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Plancorp LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 97 shares during the quarter. Plancorp LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,767,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.7% in the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,084 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,889,000 after buying an additional 577 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 484,191 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,160,000 after acquiring an additional 156,400 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.5% during the second quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $885,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 86.6% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 30,143 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,045,000 after acquiring an additional 13,992 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $269.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 50.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $235.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.57.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.