Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Purchases New Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James lifted 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

BDX stock traded up $1.16 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $234.60. 1,624,484 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,365,751. The stock has a market cap of $67.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $238.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.76.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

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.