NS Partners Ltd Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• NS Partners Ltd reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9%, now holding 66,275 shares valued at approximately $15.18 million.
• Institutional investors now own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company's stock, with significant increases in holdings from T. Rowe Price (up 36.1%) and GAMMA Investing (up 29,654.0%).
• Becton, Dickinson and Company recently reported earnings, surpassing expectations with $3.68 EPS and a 10.4% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

NS Partners Ltd cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 66,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,445 shares during the period. NS Partners Ltd's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the first quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,248,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5%

BDX traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $192.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,770,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,677,189. 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 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $55.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $175.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.42.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered 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. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $211.44.

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.