EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC Acquires 1,457 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• EagleClaw Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2%, acquiring an additional 1,457 shares, bringing its total to 29,242 shares valued at approximately $6.7 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly raised their holdings in Becton, Dickinson, including Brighton Jones LLC, which raised its stake by 98.2% in the fourth quarter.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 79.39%.

EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,457 shares during the period. EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,698,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 233.5% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 103,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $23,523,000 after buying an additional 72,714 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.3% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 13,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,950,000 after buying an additional 2,864 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 4,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $937,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:BDX opened at $178.39 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $174.83 and its 200 day moving average is $201.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.13 billion, a PE ratio of 34.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm 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%. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BDX. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

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.

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