The Dividend Daily

Global medical technology company, Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX) reported increased profits on Tuesday due to an early flu season.

The Franklin Lakes, NJ based company reported first quarter earnings of $625.44 million, or $3.13 per share, up from $262.99 million, or $1.21 per share last year. Earnings from continuing operations came in at $1.35 per share, up from $1.14 last year, and beating analysts estimate of $1.24 per share.

Revenue for the quarter came in at $1.9 billion, up 3.7% from last year, beating analysts estimate of $1.86 billion. Sales in the United States rose by 3%. International sales saw a 4.3% upside.

The company reported that the early flu season had a significant impact on earnings for the quarter.

Looking forward, the company expects to see FY2013 earnings in the range of $5.69 to $5.72 per share. BDX also sees sales growth of 4% to 4.5% for the year. Analysts are expecting to see earnings of $5.65 per share with $7.94 billion in revenue.

Becton, Dickinson, & Co. shares were up $1.94, or 2.28% during premarket trading Tuesday. The stock has increased 6.5% in the past year.

The Bottom Line
Shares of BDX have a 2.33% dividend yield, based on Monday’s closing price of $85.16 and the company’s annualized dividend payout of $1.98 per share.

Becton, Dickinson and Co.(BDX) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.