9,717 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company, purchasing 9,717 shares valued at approximately $2.23 million during the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Becton, Dickinson and Company, with 86.97% of the stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Analysts have mixed views on the company's performance; while Piper Sandler raised the price target to $200, Goldman Sachs lowered their rating to "neutral" with a target of $192.

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 9,717 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,226,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.2% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 118,476 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $27,138,000 after acquiring an additional 14,719 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,012,649,000 after buying an additional 312,124 shares during the last quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $266,000. Lcnb Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% during the first quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 3,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $9,850,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded up $1.16 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $196.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,671,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,680,373. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company's fifty day moving average price is $176.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $56.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on BDX. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $200.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.