Bailard Inc. Sells 655 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Bailard Inc. trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 655 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,880,510,000 after acquiring an additional 448,644 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,153,157,000 after purchasing an additional 244,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,012,649,000 after purchasing an additional 312,124 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $186.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

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.