Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 453,843 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 24,130 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 2.0% of Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned approximately 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $110,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares in the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,302,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Raymond James boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $5.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.17. 1,028,447 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,200,413. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.94 billion, a PE ratio of 55.73, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.85 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $240.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.11.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.05%.

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.