Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Accurate Wealth Management LLC

Accurate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 750.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,883 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 11,368 shares during the period. Accurate Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.91 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $233.89. The stock had a trading volume of 2,112,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,031,217. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $226.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.