7,023 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 7,023 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,693,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $222.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $235.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.72. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $64.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.44, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.