LPL Financial LLC Buys 60,253 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.2%, acquiring a total of 358,539 shares valued at approximately $82.1 million.
• Significant investments were also made by other firms, including T. Rowe Price and Kovitz Investment Group, with the former increasing its stake by 36.1% and the latter by a dramatic 392.4%.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, representing an annual yield of 2.29% and a payout ratio of 79.39%.

LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 20.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 358,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 60,253 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $82,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in 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 buying an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,437,161,000 after purchasing an additional 66,024 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $967,745,000 after buying an additional 267,436 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, 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 transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $2.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $176.19. The company had a trading volume of 4,688,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,814,753. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. 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 company has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays decreased 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

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.