Canoe Financial LP Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Canoe Financial LP reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,841 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,937 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in 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 period. Birch Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the third quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,838,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $237.57. The stock had a trading volume of 2,110,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,714,162. 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 company has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company's 50-day moving average is $227.07 and its 200 day moving average is $232.61. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.