1,813 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by State of Wyoming

State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $411,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 160,305 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,367,000 after purchasing an additional 10,719 shares during the period. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 6,678 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,515,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $1,075,000. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $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 quarter, insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of 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. Raymond James lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $0.82 on Monday, reaching $171.49. 1,950,782 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,932,008. The stock has a market cap of $49.15 billion, a PE ratio of 28.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $198.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during 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 firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict 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 initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.