Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) is Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s 7th Largest Position

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,502,327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 223,879 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 5.1% of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $603,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 843.7% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 29,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,272,000 after buying an additional 1,513 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 1,821 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $297,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.73 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $64.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $235.78 and its 200 day moving average is $234.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

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.