Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 5,091 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $32,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%
BDX stock traded up $0.86 during trading on Friday, reaching $170.83. The company had a trading volume of 3,070,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,034,779. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $48.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.60, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $176.53 and a 200 day moving average of $209.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64.
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 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 company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note 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 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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