Vise Technologies Inc. Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $481,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd 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 purchasing an additional 3,268,478 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $211,097,000. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $155,080,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Argus lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler reduced 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 report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $192.93 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $186.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.