Vontobel Holding Ltd. Purchases 92,266 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,282,476 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 92,266 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.9% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.79% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $522,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $177.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,277,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,055,838. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $50.74 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $175.59 and a 200-day moving average of $208.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 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 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.