AMG National Trust Bank Sells 6,279 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AMG National Trust Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 6,279 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $1.59 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $222.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,003,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,408,155. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $236.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $64.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.