M. Kraus & Co Sells 1,118 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

M. Kraus & Co lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,988 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,118 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.6% of M. Kraus & Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. M. Kraus & Co's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,152,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 7,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,641 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $276,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of BDX traded down $3.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $232.70. 3,097,839 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,150,551. The stock has a market cap of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $226.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.