Bleakley Financial Group LLC Sells 1,006 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,006 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after purchasing an additional 22,207 shares in the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the third quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,043,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $240.61 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.85 and a 12-month high of $287.32. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $240.68 and its 200 day moving average is $243.56. The stock has a market cap of $69.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.02, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.43.

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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

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.