Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Purchases 15,228 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 33.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 15,228 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of 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. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. 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, May 1st. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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, May 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.11 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $176.16. 1,057,606 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,051,862. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $175.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.50. The stock has a market cap of $50.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced 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 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.