Vontobel Holding Ltd. Purchases 61,185 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,304,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,185 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.8% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $555,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.94 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $239.88. 227,898 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,393,490. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $236.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The company has a market cap of $69.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $262.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share 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 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. Raymond James decreased 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.63.

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.