Procyon Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,591 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $236.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $68.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.77, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $226.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.51. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $248.42.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

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.