Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 13,799 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fifth Third Bancorp trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 31.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,321 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 13,799 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 now owns 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,104 shares of company stock valued at $399,675 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.4%

BDX stock traded down $2.40 during trading on Friday, hitting $172.06. 2,276,369 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,975,669. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The firm's 50 day moving average is $183.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.01. The stock has a market cap of $49.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th 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 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company. 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned 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.

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.