Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Holdings Increased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.2%, holding a total of 118,476 shares valued at $27.14 million as of the latest quarter.
• Insider transactions show that executives at Becton, Dickinson sold significant portions of their stock, with one EVP reducing their holdings by 19.52% after selling 1,185 shares.
• Becton, Dickinson & Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 2.1%.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 14.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 118,476 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 14,719 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $27,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,012,649,000 after acquiring an additional 312,124 shares in the last quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $266,000. Lcnb Corp boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% in the first quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 3,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $9,850,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $123,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.36 on Tuesday, hitting $194.86. 3,171,295 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,679,402. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company's fifty day moving average is $176.28 and its 200 day moving average is $198.06. The company has a market capitalization of $55.85 billion, a PE ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.