Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by United Asset Strategies Inc.

United Asset Strategies Inc. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 84.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,991 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 16,400 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,364,096,000 after purchasing an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,510,050,000 after acquiring an additional 111,101 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after purchasing an additional 460,440 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $697,513,000 after purchasing an additional 89,157 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.05 on Tuesday, reaching $249.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,741,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,983,307. The firm has a market cap of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $228.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $250.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.