Everence Capital Management Inc. Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Everence Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 68.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,340 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 13,949 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $257,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,250.0% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.1% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 413,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,557,000 after acquiring an additional 23,909 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,764,340 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $228.46 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $227.45 and its 200 day moving average is $232.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

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.