QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 195 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

QRG Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 195 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 12,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 10,374 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,567,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 32,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,962,000 after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,439 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com raised 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 increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 5.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $226.97 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $65.60 billion, a PE ratio of 46.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $257.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.16.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 78.19%.

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.