Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 16.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,413 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $687,000 after buying an additional 1,083 shares in the last quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $205,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 23,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the third quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,435,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $241,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:BDX opened at $210.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $199.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.29. The stock has a market cap of $59.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $235.34.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.81 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 2,463 shares of company stock valued at $501,530 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.