Boston Trust Walden Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 208,466 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 32,570 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $39,019,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,254 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plancorp LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the first quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,052 shares of company stock worth $201,235. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $195.02 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $55.56 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $190.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $162.29 and a 52-week 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 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.