Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Invests $12.64 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 56,701 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $12,635,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and by 4.8% during the second quarter. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC now owns 912 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and by 3.1% in the second quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and by 1.0% during the third quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and by 1.0% in the third quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 893 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and

In other Becton, Dickinson and news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,421 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.60, for a total transaction of $353,260.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,023,983.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Stock Up 1.5 %

BDX stock opened at $238.00 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $245.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.91, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.53. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $215.90 and a fifty-two week high of $277.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Becton, Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $4.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.59 billion. Becton, Dickinson and had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 13.52%. The company’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.64 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 9th. Becton, Dickinson and’s payout ratio is 68.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $221.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, December 12th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and in a research note on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $290.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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Becton, Dickinson & Co engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products. It operates through the following segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. The BD Medical segment produces medical technologies and devices that are used to help improve healthcare delivery.