Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Fiduciary Group LLC

Fiduciary Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 9.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,037 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,662 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew 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 valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,967 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 44,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,048,000 after purchasing an additional 13,387 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on 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 target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $176.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,057,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,063,817. 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 quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $50.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.25. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities 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 business also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.