Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Purchased by Forsta AP Fonden

Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,400 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 378.9% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 182 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Argus boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $193.03 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $186.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.03. The company has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.72, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

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. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

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 that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.