Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Perigon Wealth Management LLC

Perigon Wealth Management LLC cut its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,762 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 710 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’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 owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $235.17 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.85 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a market capitalization of $67.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.73, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $240.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.05%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.