Fiera Capital Corp Sells 936,503 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Fiera Capital Corp has significantly reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 67.0%, selling over 936,000 shares in the first quarter, now owning approximately 0.16% of the company.
• Recent analyst reports have downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, with several firms cutting ratings from "buy" to "hold" and lowering target prices, reflecting a cautious outlook.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company will pay a $1.04 quarterly dividend on September 30th, maintaining a dividend yield of 2.27% and a payout ratio of 79.39%.

Fiera Capital Corp reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 67.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 461,836 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 936,503 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp owned 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $105,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Brady Family Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the first 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 during the period. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the first 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 during the period. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded down $2.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $176.04. The stock had a trading volume of 3,197,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,854. The company has a market cap of $50.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $174.83 and a 200 day moving average of $201.28. 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 has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during 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 for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

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.