1,960 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC

Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $449,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was 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 now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $168.58. 5,093,508 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,006,809. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio 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.