Zions Bancorporation N.A. Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 344 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 88 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $80,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after acquiring an additional 18,786 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.18 on Monday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $67.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $234.71 and a 200 day moving average of $235.61.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

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.