Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,827 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 27,581 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $224,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.22.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE BDX opened at $176.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $200.87.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 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.