Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 3,601 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Trust Co. of Vermont lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,199 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,601 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $169.93 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $209.86. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $48.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.

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