Davidson Investment Advisors Has $25.52 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Davidson Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 4,630 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.3% of Davidson Investment Advisors' investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $25,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,248,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $989,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on 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. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. 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, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $175.08. 1,199,410 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,563,573. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.45, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $206.96. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

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.