Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 16,074 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 62.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 16,074 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,129,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,295,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,374,000 after purchasing an additional 189,520 shares during the period. Fort L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $226,000. BSW Wealth Partners lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% in the third quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,437,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,804,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $226.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $257.58. The firm has a market cap of $65.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $237.53 and its 200-day moving average is $235.16.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

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.