First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services Sells 305 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,565 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 305 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $809,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $485,000. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 98,720 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $23,072,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.7% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 436,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $101,940,000 after purchasing an additional 155,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the second quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 7,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,659,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $237.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market cap of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $226.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.53.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.

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.