Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Holdings Reduced by Silver Lake Advisory LLC

Silver Lake Advisory LLC cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,347 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 739 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 2.0% of Silver Lake Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Silver Lake Advisory LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,808,000 after purchasing an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $6,406,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction 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 represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $171.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $178.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.49. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James Financial cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

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.