Davidson Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Davidson Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 4,630 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 1.3% of Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $25,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $21,607,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $299,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.8% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $729,000 after buying an additional 1,738 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays decreased their price target on 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. William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $177.36. The company had a trading volume of 3,014,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,076,061. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $50.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $206.75.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio 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.