Prospera Financial Services Inc Acquires 1,699 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 40.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,936 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,699 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,880,510,000 after buying an additional 448,644 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,012,649,000 after acquiring an additional 312,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,365,509 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $577,420,000 after acquiring an additional 12,602 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of BDX stock opened at $192.03 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $55.04 billion, a PE ratio of 34.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its 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 return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 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 Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Argus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.