Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6%, owning 707,900 shares valued at approximately $162 million after purchasing an additional 50,190 shares in Q1.
• Director Claire Fraser and EVP Michael David Garrison sold shares of Becton Dickinson stock, reducing their ownership by 3.59% and 19.52% respectively, indicating some insider selling activity.
• Becton, Dickinson reported $3.68 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts’ expectations, as the company continues to show strong revenue growth with a 10.4% increase year-over-year.

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 707,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 50,190 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.25% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $162,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $196.12 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock's 50 day moving average is $177.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.02. The company has a market capitalization of $56.21 billion, a PE ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $211.44.

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.

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