Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Prospera Financial Services Inc

Prospera Financial Services Inc lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on 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. Evercore ISI upped 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 note 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 research report on Friday, August 2nd. 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. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $224.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $235.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.56. The stock has a market cap of $64.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

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.