Brown Advisory Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Brown Advisory Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,859 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,459 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Amundi lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,792,973 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $495,110,000 after buying an additional 478,974 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 365.1% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 31,876 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,491,000 after acquiring an additional 25,022 shares during the last quarter. Philadelphia Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 549.4% in the second quarter. Philadelphia Trust Co. now owns 32,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,598,000 after acquiring an additional 27,495 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.3% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 275,069 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,381,000 after acquiring an additional 16,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.9% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 61,229 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,547,000 after acquiring an additional 7,476 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $189.59 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $188.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 71.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the 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 directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,324 shares of company stock worth $245,860. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.45.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.