Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by FORA Capital LLC

FORA Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 42.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,122 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 17,754 shares during the quarter. FORA Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third 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 last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $224.14. 120,972 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,411,670. The company’s 50-day moving average is $234.83 and its 200-day moving average is $234.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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 research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James reduced their price target on 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, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

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.