Czech National Bank Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Czech National Bank grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 3,280 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,107,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted 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 valued at $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 Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $170.74. 2,857,535 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,941,957. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $188.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $215.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.93 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.