MML Investors Services invests USD 9.13M in BD

MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 34,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $9,125,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the second quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX now owns 4,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,181,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,273,000. First Foundation Advisors increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 1,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 6,263 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.72% of the company’s stock.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. TheStreet downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $304.00 to $269.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $282.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.57.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 2,156 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.47, for a total value of $514,141.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $982,496.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
Shares of BDX opened at $232.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $248.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $258.82. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $228.62 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.49.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. The firm had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.75 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

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. MarketBeat