Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Choreo LLC

Key Points

• Choreo LLC has reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.1% during the first quarter, selling 3,091 shares and now owning 4,612 shares valued at approximately $1,056,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC and Cornerstone Planning Group LLC, made new investments in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter, which indicates ongoing interest in the company despite Choreo's decrease in holdings.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, equating to an annualized dividend yield of 2.24%, scheduled for payment on September 30th to shareholders of record on September 8th.

Choreo LLC trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 40.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,612 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,091 shares during the period. Choreo LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,808,000 after acquiring an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $744,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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 objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.19 on Tuesday, hitting $182.75. 291,460 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,619,752. The stock has a market cap of $52.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.89, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm's 50-day moving average is $174.43 and its 200 day moving average is $201.96. 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 released 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 company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.