Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Raised by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 391,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,984 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $95,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,782 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $343,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $119,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $255,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $281.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,597 shares of company stock valued at $2,028,786 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $228.79. 1,373,364 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,916. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $238.54. The firm has a market cap of $66.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $228.09 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.