Bokf Na Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

BOKF NA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 106.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,296 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 6,345 shares during the period. BOKF NA's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 have sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.73 on Friday, hitting $167.22. The company had a trading volume of 4,133,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857,499. The stock's 50-day moving average is $208.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $47.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

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.