Wedbush Securities Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 34.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,112 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,895,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,808,000 after acquiring an additional 27,581 shares in the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $183.62. The stock had a trading volume of 1,801,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,985,697. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $174.10 and a 200 day moving average of $203.07. The stock has a market cap of $52.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The business 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 firm posted $3.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

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.