Gabelli Funds LLC Has $4.57 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 24.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 26,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,145 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,670,590 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4%

BDX stock opened at $188.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $53.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $188.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 407 shares of company stock worth $73,922. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.45.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.