Intech Investment Management LLC Has $11.08 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Intech Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35,307 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 317,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $76,530,000 after buying an additional 140,051 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 7,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,688,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $950,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,678 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 264.6% during the 3rd quarter. EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC now owns 25,795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,219,000 after purchasing an additional 18,721 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.21 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $235.35 and its 200 day moving average is $234.65. The firm has a market cap of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.91, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.