Bill Few Associates Inc. Acquires 190 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in 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 institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $241.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.21. The company has a market cap of $69.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $262.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James cut 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, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.