AMI Asset Management Corp Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

AMI Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 274,931 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,405 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 2.9% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned approximately 0.10% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $51,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the second 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,153,157,000 after acquiring an additional 244,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $653,377,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE BDX opened at $196.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $55.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average of $190.23 and a 200-day moving average of $186.03.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price 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. Four 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.64.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,568,973.15. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 978 shares of company stock worth $186,725. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.