Meyer Handelman Co. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,676 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,370 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $767,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $135,267,000 after purchasing an additional 12,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $647,082,000 after purchasing an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
NYSE:BDX traded down $3.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $232.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,366,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,031,217. 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 cap of $67.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.18, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $226.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.50. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
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Free Report)
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.
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