1,695 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.

Key Points

• The University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. has acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX), purchasing 1,695 shares valued at approximately $388,000.
• Institutional investors now own 86.97% of Becton, Dickinson's stock, which has seen notable increases in stakes from several large investment firms in recent months.
• Becton, Dickinson announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04, with an annualized yield of 2.24%, and has a payout ratio currently at 79.39%.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $388,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,567,654,000 after acquiring an additional 667,957 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,437,161,000 after acquiring an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $967,745,000 after acquiring an additional 267,436 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup cut 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 report on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $180.71. 1,114,567 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,612,440. The stock has a market cap of $51.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $174.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.68.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% 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 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.