Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,064 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,331 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $233.15 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.36 billion, a PE ratio of 55.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50 day moving average is $240.19 and its 200-day moving average is $242.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.98 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James upped their price target on 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 upped their price target on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.