Sax Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 1,572 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,572 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $357,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $237.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,110,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,714,162. The stock's fifty day moving average is $227.07 and its 200 day moving average is $232.61. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $248.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on 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 owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is 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.