Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases 3,035 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 157,038 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,035 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $37,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 3,845 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $2,296,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,200,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.6% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,294,000 after buying an additional 4,293 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 78,299 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $19,375,000 after buying an additional 4,792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $234.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.32. The company has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 63.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded 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 price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Finally, Raymond James dropped 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

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.