Meyer Handelman Co. Sells 2,360 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Meyer Handelman Co. cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 22.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,360 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note 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 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut 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. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.35 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $170.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,029,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,934,344. The company has a market cap of $48.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $191.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $216.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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 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 business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,044 shares of company stock worth $836,000. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.