Rhumbline Advisers Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 507,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 12,204 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.18% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $116,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.0%

BDX stock traded up $1.69 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $172.63. 543,176 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,929,876. 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 $49.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $189.17 and a 200-day moving average of $215.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. 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 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 paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

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.