Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. Has $1.36 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 452 shares during the quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,342,503,000 after acquiring an additional 512,566 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,034,523 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,043,045,000 after acquiring an additional 395,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after purchasing an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.59 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,036,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,360,445. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $238.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.76. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

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.