iSAM Funds UK Ltd Takes $655,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $655,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,613,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670,590 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $198.44 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $188.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.04, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

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.