Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 19,834 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Baird Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 19,834 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $165.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $47.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.

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