FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. Has $1.29 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 52.5% during the first quarter, now owning 5,640 shares valued at approximately $1.29 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Brighton Jones LLC and Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC, have significantly increased their stakes in Becton, Dickinson, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, yielding about 2.28%, with an ex-dividend date of September 8th.

FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 52.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,941 shares during the quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29,654.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 744,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $170,523,000 after acquiring an additional 741,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $99,627,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.2%

BDX traded down $2.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $176.19. 4,688,991 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,814,753. 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 has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $174.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $200.87.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.