Avity Investment Management Inc. Purchases 4,928 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 163,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 4,928 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 3.0% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $37,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $173.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,036,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,943,102. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $186.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.84. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25.

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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's 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 now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000 in the last quarter. 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.