Wealthfront Advisers LLC Buys 2,764 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 53.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,764 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,808,000 after acquiring an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research 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 target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $3.36 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $175.49. The company had a trading volume of 3,133,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,154,702. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.06. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $50.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.