Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.34 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 54.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,846 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,058 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased 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 worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in 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 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 last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position 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 last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,044 shares of company stock worth $836,000. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $173.47 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a PE ratio of 28.82, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $186.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $214.84.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

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.

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