Nuance Investments LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Nuance Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 296.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 251,889 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 188,338 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 3.4% of Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $43,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $31,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 378.9% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 182 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler dropped 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 report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $177.88 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $186.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.30. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.36%.

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.