Barclays PLC Cuts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Barclays PLC trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 662,293 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 47,499 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.23% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $159,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.1% in the second quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,069 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,935 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,153,000 after buying an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $284,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $299,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,250.8% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

BDX stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $221.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,902,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,445,651. The stock has a market cap of $63.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $231.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.49.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $283.50.

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.