Jacobs & Co. CA Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Jacobs & Co. CA reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,343 shares during the quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup downgraded 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 report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.29 on Friday, hitting $172.53. 3,358,673 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,939,853. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $192.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $216.74.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.