Romano Brothers AND Company Acquires 12,186 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Romano Brothers AND Company boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 616.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 12,186 shares during the period. Romano Brothers AND Company's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.7% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 436,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $101,940,000 after acquiring an additional 155,990 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 80.3% during the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,308 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,110,000 after acquiring an additional 5,926 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.2% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 222,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $52,016,000 after buying an additional 15,193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $237.57. 2,110,686 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,714,162. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $227.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.61. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

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.