Buy This Top Dividend Stock Ahead of Its 10% Payout Boost in December

One of our top dividend stocks just blew away expectations.

Just as we knew it would.

Back in June, we drew your attention to Becton, Dickinson and Co. (NYSE: BDX), the 120-year-old medical technology powerhouse that has increased its dividend every year for 45 years.

It is the quintessential "dividend aristocrat."

Earlier this month, BDX reported a Q3 earnings per share of $2.40, beating analyst expectations by $0.03 and growing 13.2% since last year. Revenue for the quarter came in at $3.17 billion, another expectation beat.

It even beat one of our expectations. In June, we quoted analysts who gave BDX a one-year price target of $213.

Now, just five months later, BDX sits at around $220.

Here's why BDX is still a buy – and why you should start accumulating shares sooner rather than later…

Becton Dickinson Is Riding Unstoppable Trends to Triple Digit Gains

Becton, Dickinson and Co. is, at its very core, a "must-have" company because it makes "must-have" products.

Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald says it best: "[BDX] makes billions of single-use syringes a year and other medical supplies that customers literally 'must have' or they die."

The company aligns with two of Keith's "Unstoppable Trends": medicine and demographics. Anyone who is ill or aging needs Becton Dickinson's products. That means nothing – not Wall Street, not Washington, and definitely not the Federal Reserve – will change that.

Keith first recommended BDX to his Money Map Report readers back in early 2012, at $74.91 a share. It's nearly tripled since then, far outstripping even the S&P's incredible 102% rally over the same time span.

A $10,000,000 Bet: Keith is betting nearly $10 million that he can show you how to make 350% average gains every week for a year. Learn how to get started right away – you can't afford to miss next week's moneymaking recommendations…

And this must-have dividend aristocrat shows no signs of stopping.

Just last month, the European Commission conditionally approved Becton Dickinson's $24 billion acquisition of C. R. Bard Inc. (NYSE: BCR), which will give BDX even greater presence in the fast-growing oncology and surgery markets.

The merger will also allow Becton Dickinson to start producing PICCs (peripherally inserted central catheters) and drug delivery ports, which are vital for the treatment of a huge range of disease, from cancer to ulcerative colitis.

They expect that deal to fully close by the end of the year.

And that's not the only good news you'll see out of Becton Dickinson as we close out 2017. Here's why you don't want to wait until 2018 to add this dividend aristocrat to your portfolio…