Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Boosted by Northcape Capital Pty Ltd

Northcape Capital Pty Ltd grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 0.4% of Northcape Capital Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Northcape Capital Pty Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after buying an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,043,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $246.94. 212,275 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,460,233. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $238.95 and its 200-day moving average is $245.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market cap of $71.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.85 and a 52 week high of $287.32.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 90.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Raymond James upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.17.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s 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 owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.