Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 861 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 861 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $234.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $67.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $269.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $234.88 and its 200 day moving average is $235.60.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup dropped their price objective on 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. Raymond James dropped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

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.