MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 1,929 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 75,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,929 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,845 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $2,296,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.6% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,294,000 after purchasing an additional 4,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 78,299 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $19,375,000 after purchasing an additional 4,792 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $234.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.32. The firm 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 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.