Vestor Capital LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vestor Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 663.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 116,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 101,427 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.2% of Vestor Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $26,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.89 on Friday, reaching $185.52. 1,875,850 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,931,804. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $174.31 and a 200-day moving average of $202.75. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $53.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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 Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, William Blair lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.