California Public Employees Retirement System Has $183.46 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,065,078 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 213,263 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $183,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,466,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670,590 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 Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s 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 owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,324 shares of company stock valued at $245,860. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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 research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.45.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $193.92 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $55.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $188.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (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. Equities analysts expect 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 dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase 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 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.