Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,060 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $195.69 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $190.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.68. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 1.80 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.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.64.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,568,973.15. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,052 shares of company stock worth $201,235. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.