148,933 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 148,933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $36,314,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $234.62 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $238.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.45. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.