TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC Sells 125,359 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX)

TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 735,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 125,359 shares during the period. TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC owned about 0.34% of Becton, Dickinson and worth $134,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and by 1.6% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 257,374 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,213,000 after buying an additional 4,083 shares during the period. Cohen Lawrence B boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and by 39.1% in the first quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 4,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $784,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Triangle Securities Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and by 0.6% in the first quarter. Triangle Securities Wealth Management now owns 3,896 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the first quarter worth $27,395,000. Finally, Private Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and during the first quarter worth $956,000. 75.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) opened at 205.30 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $161.29 and a 12-month high of $205.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.79 billion, a PE ratio of 34.10 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $195.21 and a 200 day moving average of $184.45.

Becton, Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and had a return on equity of 25.37% and a net margin of 10.67%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.18 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post $9.45 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 9th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 7th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Becton, Dickinson and’s dividend payout ratio is 48.26%.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Bank of America Corporation reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and in a research report on Friday. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Cowen and Company reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and in a research report on Monday, July 10th. BidaskClub raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial, Inc. raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Friday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Becton, Dickinson and currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $194.69.

In other news, VP Jeffrey S. Sherman sold 28,765 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.98, for a total value of $5,349,714.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 70,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,171,289.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is a global medical technology company engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of a range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. The Company operates through two segments: BD Medical and BD Life Sciences. The BD Medical segment produces an array of medical technologies and devices that are used to help improve healthcare delivery in a range of settings.