Cooke & Bieler LP Purchases 383,485 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 117.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 383,485 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.5% of Cooke & Bieler LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Cooke & Bieler LP owned approximately 0.24% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $173,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.97 during trading on Friday, hitting $234.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,265,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,116,801. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The company has a market capitalization of $67.64 billion, a PE ratio of 55.48, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's fifty day moving average is $240.00 and its 200 day moving average is $242.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.