Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by AMI Asset Management Corp

AMI Asset Management Corp trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 299,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,283 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 4.0% of AMI Asset Management Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned approximately 0.10% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $68,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $171.04 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $177.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $49.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 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 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 business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares in the company, 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their price target 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, Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

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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