Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Takes $297,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 1,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after purchasing an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 714,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $174,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,790 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $234.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $240.00 and a 200 day moving average of $242.42. The company has a market capitalization of $67.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.49, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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 operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.