Dark Forest Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $241.51 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.20, a PEG 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 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $269.52.

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 (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid 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 is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

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.