Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Thomasville National Bank

Thomasville National Bank raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,753 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the period. Thomasville National Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $2.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $172.06. 2,276,369 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,975,669. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $49.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $183.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.01.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,104 shares of company stock worth $399,675. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on BDX. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.