Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by AMG National Trust Bank

AMG National Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 85.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,892 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,636 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Buckhead Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.2% in the 1st quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 11,553 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,646,000 after acquiring an additional 2,748 shares in the last quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the first quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors now owns 19,835 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,543,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $218,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.6% during the first quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 9,734 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,230,000 after buying an additional 2,502 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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 owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $5.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $180.52. The company had a trading volume of 887,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,109. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $51.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 1.35 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays dropped their price objective 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, June 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

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.