Cullen Capital Management LLC Buys New Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 368,568 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $63,486,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2%

BDX opened at $200.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $57.32 billion, a PE ratio of 34.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued 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 return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.91.

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.