2,174 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by Aurdan Capital Management LLC

Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased 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 fund purchased 2,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $493,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE BDX traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $172.98. The company had a trading volume of 811,321 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,929,087. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company's fifty day moving average is $193.74 and its 200-day moving average is $217.14.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped 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, May 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $221.44.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.