Haverford Trust Co Sells 4,672 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Haverford Trust Co lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,249 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,672 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $231.26 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The stock has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $236.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors 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 yield of 1.80%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.