Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP

L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,165 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $170.86 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $189.17 and its 200-day moving average is $215.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $48.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,044 shares of company stock worth $836,000 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.