Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,708 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,351 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,967,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after purchasing an additional 810,345 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 4,887 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of BDX traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $169.72. 3,083,399 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,012,689. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $211.12. The firm has a market cap of $48.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. 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, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

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.