Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Holdings Reduced by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 58.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,045 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 15,757 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC grew 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.86 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $170.83. 3,070,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,034,006. 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 $48.96 billion, a PE ratio of 32.60, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.86. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.