Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 633 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 33,045 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth about $45,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the second quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $49,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.4 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $243.75 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $262.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.28. The firm has a market cap of $70.45 billion, a PE ratio of 53.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Raymond James cut 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.