Prospera Financial Services Inc Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 40.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,936 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,699 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $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 $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its holdings 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.5% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’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 transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.6%

BDX opened at $192.03 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $181.95. The company has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a PE ratio of 34.54, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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 paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 72.04%.

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.