Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $5.27 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.1%, selling 4,404 shares during the 1st quarter, leaving them with 22,991 shares valued at approximately $5.27 million.
• Institutional investors own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, indicating strong institutional confidence in the company.
• Recent analyst reports show a decrease in ratings for the company's stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target around $211.33, following downgrades from firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 16.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,991 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,404 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $197.00 price target (up from $196.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of 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. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $194.63. The company had a trading volume of 862,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,668,407. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $55.79 billion, a PE ratio of 35.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $177.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.02.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is 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.