Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 323,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 136,863 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned about 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $73,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after purchasing an additional 66,024 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $1.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $175.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,428,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,078,243. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $172.33 and a 200 day moving average of $206.06. The stock has a market cap of $50.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.25. 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 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.