Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.

Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 77.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 171 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 603 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $29,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $186.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $53.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $190.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.