Bank of Nova Scotia Grows Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 115.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 168,696 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,500 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $29,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $189.59 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.52, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $188.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,324 shares of company stock worth $245,860. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.45.

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.