Renaissance Technologies LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 47.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 484,191 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 156,400 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.17% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $113,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.5% during the second quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $885,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 86.6% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 30,143 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,045,000 after acquiring an additional 13,992 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,736,258 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $405,726,000 after acquiring an additional 167,033 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,146,374,000 after purchasing an additional 87,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $234.18 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.68 billion, a PE ratio of 51.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James reduced 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. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.