Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,798 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,838 shares of company stock valued at $348,392. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $185.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $53.05 billion, a PE ratio of 33.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $190.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 74.82%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.