West Oak Capital LLC Acquires 795 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1,445.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the quarter. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $0.78 on Friday, reaching $233.65. 2,597,939 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,896,587. The firm has a market cap of $67.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $248.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $226.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.