Czech National Bank Increases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Birch Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% in the third quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,838,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, reaching $235.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,588,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,028,156. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $226.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $68.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a boost 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%.

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.