Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,319 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 147 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,053,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Silver Lake Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC now owns 21,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,182,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 3,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $969,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 125,972 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,716,000 after purchasing an additional 5,519 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $235.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $238.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.93.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.