Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 43,495 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 95.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,180 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 43,495 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 152,293 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $34,551,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phraction Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 3,138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Raymond James cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:BDX opened at $177.06 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business's 50-day moving average price is $202.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $220.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.41, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.

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