Banque de Luxembourg S.A. Invests $2.94 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Banque de Luxembourg S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 12,918 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,942,000. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.6% of Banque de Luxembourg S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $168.61 on Friday. 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 has a 1-year low of $166.11 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $48.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $214.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.60.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $235.88.

Becton, Dickinson and 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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