AMG National Trust Bank Acquires 3,636 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 85.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,808,000 after buying an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $744,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $224,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.59 on Wednesday, hitting $180.69. 646,740 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,638,627. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

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.