Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 197,345 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $33,993,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $23,871,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $150,051,000. Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 102.2% in the second quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 3,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,018 shares during the last quarter. Distillate Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,575,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 689.8% in the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 56,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,700,000 after buying an additional 49,183 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,324 shares of company stock worth $245,860. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $193.92 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $55.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.25. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $188.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 71.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.45.

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.