Toth Financial Advisory Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,647 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,233 shares during the period. Toth Financial Advisory Corp's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Bank of America cut 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $173.47 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $186.95 and a 200-day moving average of $214.71. The company has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a P/E/G 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.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.

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