Point72 Hong Kong Ltd Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Point72 Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 118.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,897 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,913 shares during the quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $235.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market cap of $67.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $235.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.49. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid 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

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

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.