Sone Capital Management LLC Invests $916,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sone Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 4,039 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $916,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8%

BDX stock opened at $175.37 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $50.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, 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's 50-day moving average is $203.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.72. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on BDX shares. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.44.

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.

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