Avity Investment Management Inc. Sells 8,450 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avity Investment Management Inc. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,450 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 2.8% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $35,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew 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 acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded down $3.10 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $232.70. 3,097,839 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,150,551. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $226.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.50. The company has a market cap of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.18, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $248.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

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.