Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC Has $679,000 Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 38.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,991 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,896 shares during the period. Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $679,000 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. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $208,000. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 97.7% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,872 shares during the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 11,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,646,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Raymond James lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $177.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $50.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.41, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The firm's 50-day moving average is $202.67 and its 200 day moving average is $220.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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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