Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $348,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,896.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 10,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,417,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0%
Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $168.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm's 50 day moving average is $179.58 and its 200 day moving average is $211.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.
View Our Latest Research Report on BDX
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BDX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report).

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