Olstein Capital Management L.P. Buys 8,000 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Olstein Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.6% of Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $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 during the second quarter worth $45,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the second quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 3.2 %

BDX stock traded down $7.66 on Thursday, reaching $232.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 320,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,374,366. 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 firm has a market cap of $67.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.40, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $257.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. 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. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research 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 on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

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.