Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC

Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 155 shares during the quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $114,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 504 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.0% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.97 on Friday, reaching $234.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,265,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,404,193. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $240.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $242.58. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.40 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.43, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.05%.

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.