Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Acquired by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 971,263 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 127,975 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.34% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $181,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently 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 valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $324,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,112,000 after buying an additional 973 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,463 shares of company stock valued at $501,530. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $210.45 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $235.34. The stock has a market cap of $59.96 billion, a PE ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. 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 50 day moving average price of $199.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.81 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $213.36.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.