Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7%, holding 37,266 shares worth approximately $8.54 million at the end of the first quarter.
• Several hedge funds made significant changes to their positions in Becton, Dickinson and Company, with a notable 341.4% increase in shares held by Cornerstone Planning Group LLC during the first quarter.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, representing a 2.4% dividend yield, with a record date of September 8th.

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,266 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,855 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th 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 during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business'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 value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $212.88.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $15.08 on Thursday, reaching $187.49. 4,687,782 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,175,144. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $199.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $53.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's 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.