Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Sells 2,601 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,090 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,601 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,538,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $761,798,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $478,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,423,353 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $173,692,000. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $173,347,000 after purchasing an additional 383,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $75,493,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $234.04. 2,135,494 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,451,048. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $233.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.23. The company has a market cap of $67.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.