Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,637 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.57 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.33. The stock has a market cap of $55.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.