Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Acquires 155,990 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 55.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 436,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 155,990 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $101,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $12,853,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caden Capital Partners LP grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after acquiring an additional 17,599 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI decreased 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 note on Tuesday, July 2nd. 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 research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $233.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $235.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.43, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio 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.