Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 32.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,125 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1%

BDX stock traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $170.74. 2,857,535 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,941,956. 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 has a market cap of $48.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $189.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.54. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 period last year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

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.