Legal & General Group Plc Has $318.27 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,847,728 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35,755 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.64% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $318,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.9% during the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 3,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $837,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.5% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 24,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,548,000 after purchasing an additional 5,659 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 78,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,058,000 after purchasing an additional 12,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.5% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 70,378 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $16,121,000 after buying an additional 19,198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $192.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a PE ratio of 34.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $186.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.33.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Argus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company 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 operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.