Daymark Wealth Partners LLC Increases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 34.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 399 shares during the quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of 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. 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $241.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $69.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.