Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 22.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,409 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,536 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during 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 during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business'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 value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:BDX traded up $1.91 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $171.63. 2,903,284 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,020,768. The business's 50-day moving average price is $178.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

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.