Cullen Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 368,568 Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 368,568 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $63,486,000. Cullen Capital Management LLC owned 0.13% of Becton, Dickinson and Company at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 53.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,230,068 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $281,759,000 after purchasing an additional 431,026 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 29,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,754,000 after buying an additional 1,343 shares during the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.0% during the first quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 33,679 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,715,000 after purchasing an additional 9,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HFR Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. HFR Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,276 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,622,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. 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 Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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 $200.82 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.66.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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