Auto Owners Insurance Co trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 87.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 94,710 shares during the quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 27,581 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
NYSE:BDX opened at $181.50 on Wednesday. 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 has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $173.51 and a 200 day moving average of $204.06. The company has a market capitalization of $52.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.25.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
(
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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