Ninety One UK Ltd Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ninety One UK Ltd lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,229,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 12,389 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.6% of Ninety One UK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Ninety One UK Ltd owned approximately 0.77% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $543,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after buying an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after buying an additional 512,566 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,021,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,239,745,000 after buying an additional 76,294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95,813.8% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,045,643 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,028,807,000 after purchasing an additional 4,041,425 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.43 during trading on Thursday, hitting $230.78. 301,479 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,398,642. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $240.34 and its 200 day moving average is $242.65. The stock has a market cap of $66.67 billion, a PE ratio of 55.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.98 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

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.