Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 3,194 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,347 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,194 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $27,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 843.7% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,389 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 29,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,272,000 after buying an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the first quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 9,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,414,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $225.15 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.90, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $236.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.00. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm 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. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

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