Norway Savings Bank Buys 997 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Norway Savings Bank boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 30.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,026,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Birch Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the third quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,838,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,380,000 after purchasing an additional 2,602 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 128.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $240,000. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.5% in the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 19,344 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,664,000 after buying an additional 2,307 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $3.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $243.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 331,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,395,350. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $262.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $236.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.