Portland Global Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 42.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,460 shares during the period. Portland Global Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its position in 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 worth $2,248,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $225,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Brady Family Wealth LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $989,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings 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 worth $272,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. 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 report on Tuesday, June 3rd. 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 objective for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on BDX
Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance
Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $180.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,114,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,612,440. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $51.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 1.38 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. The firm's 50-day moving average is $174.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $201.68.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.17 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.
Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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