Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Increased by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Key Points

• Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.5% during the first quarter, holding a total of 24,219 shares valued at approximately $5.5 million.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $3.35 for the quarter, surpassing expectations, though revenue of $5.27 billion was slightly below analyst forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.24%, with a payout ratio currently at 79.39%.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 30.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 5,659 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the first quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $7,312,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $118,000. SFE Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% during the first quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 25,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,807,000 after buying an additional 2,531 shares during the period. Finally, Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.9% during the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 3,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE BDX traded down $0.58 on Thursday, reaching $180.96. The company had a trading volume of 854,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,610,503. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.87 billion, a PE ratio of 34.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $174.71 and a 200-day moving average of $201.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. The firm'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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.