Bison Wealth LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bison Wealth LLC cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,044 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 188 shares during the quarter. Bison Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $232.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $240.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.65. The company has a market capitalization of $67.10 billion, a PE ratio of 55.04, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.98 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

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.