Brown Advisory Inc. Sells 2,346 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Brown Advisory Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,346 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,248,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Brady Family Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $175.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,428,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,078,243. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. 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 50-day moving average price of $172.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $206.06. The company has a market cap of $50.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.56, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.