Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Woodline Partners LP

Woodline Partners LP reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,209 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 38,939 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $31,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 note on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.44.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded down $0.82 during trading on Monday, reaching $171.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,950,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,932,008. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company's fifty day moving average price is $198.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.60. 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 $49.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.