Bernzott Capital Advisors Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bernzott Capital Advisors lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,409 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,273 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.2% of Bernzott Capital Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Bernzott Capital Advisors' holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,838,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the third quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.50.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were 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 directly owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:BDX traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $237.57. 2,110,686 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,156,771. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $248.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $226.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a PE ratio of 40.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39.

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 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

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.