Townsquare Capital LLC Sells 1,912 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC has reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1%, now owning 59,747 shares worth approximately $13.7 million.
• Recent insider activity includes EVP Michael David Garrison selling 1,185 shares and Director Claire Fraser selling 863 shares, both indicating a decrease in their respective positions.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, reflecting a 2.1% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 79.39%.

Townsquare Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 59,747 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,912 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29,654.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 744,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $170,523,000 after buying an additional 741,943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after buying an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $192.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,770,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,342,677. The company has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $175.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 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 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

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.