Flossbach Von Storch SE Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Flossbach Von Storch SE increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,130 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 3,493 shares during the quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE owned 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $44,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the first quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,248,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the first quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $989,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings 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 worth $272,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.63 on Friday, hitting $175.87. 2,428,716 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,077,671. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $172.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $205.91. The company has a market capitalization of $50.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. 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 for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.