Avestar Capital LLC Sells 51 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avestar Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,153 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $278,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $234.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

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