Clarius Group LLC Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Clarius Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,787 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $736,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $296,000. Bfsg LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 24,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,358,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.1% during the first quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $399,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.72% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $234.94. 250,476 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,173,326. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.82 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $68.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.13, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $257.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.01.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.42. The company had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 73.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $284.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $282.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $304.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total transaction of $238,847.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,086,109.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total transaction of $238,847.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,086,109.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,444 shares in the company, valued at $945,309.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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's BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.