Covea Finance Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Covea Finance lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Covea Finance's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,152,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 7,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,641 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $276,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.3 %

BDX stock traded down $3.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $232.70. 3,097,839 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,150,551. The stock has a market cap of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $248.42. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $226.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 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.