Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 97.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,522 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 33,860 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after purchasing an additional 810,345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.4%
Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $2.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $173.47. 2,036,193 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,942,331. The company has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $188.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $215.18. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed 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 is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
(
Free Report)
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.
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