Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 80.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,327 shares during the quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,641,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $963,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Eagle Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $400,000. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,816 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $233.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $67.55 billion, a PE ratio of 55.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $238.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.71. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

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.