Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,007 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,148 shares during the period. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $357,000. Somerset Trust Co boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 15,497 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,516,000 after buying an additional 703 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 97.7% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 1,872 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 19,591 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,445,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $237.57. The company had a trading volume of 2,110,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,714,162. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $248.42. The stock has a market cap of $68.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.61.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company 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 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 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted 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, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.