Puzo Michael J Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Puzo Michael J lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 67.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 11,899 shares during the period. Puzo Michael J’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,340,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $6,406,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,344,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $21,607,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 45,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,371,000 after acquiring an additional 16,537 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $170.01 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $48.73 billion, a PE ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.