M. Kraus & Co Sells 6,653 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

M. Kraus & Co lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 28.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 6,653 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 1.1% of M. Kraus & Co's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. M. Kraus & Co's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,406,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,344,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,607,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 45,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,371,000 after acquiring an additional 16,537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded 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. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $172.06 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $183.03 and a 200 day moving average of $212.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $49.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This 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 the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,104 shares of company stock worth $399,675. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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