Nuance Investments LLC Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Nuance Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 296.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 251,889 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 188,338 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 3.4% of Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Nuance Investments LLC owned about 0.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $43,388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.5% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $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 have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $177.88 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.30.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 71.36%.

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.