Louisbourg Investments Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Louisbourg Investments Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.1% of Louisbourg Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Louisbourg Investments Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $6,406,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $21,607,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 45,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,371,000 after buying an additional 16,537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:BDX traded down $1.40 on Wednesday, reaching $168.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,839,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,994,462. 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 $181.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $212.31. The firm has a market cap of $48.30 billion, a PE ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.25. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.