Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 86.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,679 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 30,616 shares during the period. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $249.75. 1,741,418 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,983,302. 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 has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $228.56 and a 200 day moving average of $233.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $250.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.00.

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.