Shana Carol Neal Sells 788 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.78 on Friday, reaching $233.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,597,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,896,587. The company has a market capitalization of $67.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. 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 stock's 50 day simple moving average is $226.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.47. 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 earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company 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 issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.