1,591 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 1,591 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their position. 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 Stock Performance

BDX stock traded down $1.29 during trading on Friday, hitting $172.53. The company had a trading volume of 3,358,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,928,632. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $192.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $216.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $49.45 billion, a PE ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. 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 earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect 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 Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. Citigroup cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.44.

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.