Atria Investments Inc Buys 1,477 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,049 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,477 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after buying an additional 5,389 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,580,000 after purchasing an additional 46,668 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $69,334,000 after purchasing an additional 37,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $165,967,000 after purchasing an additional 6,052 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $231.26 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $236.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The stock has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

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.