Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Vident Advisory LLC

Vident Advisory LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 45.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,878 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,278 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded up $0.77 on Thursday, hitting $173.78. 1,983,048 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,934,154. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $49.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $194.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 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.