Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Position Decreased by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 136,239 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 9,953 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $33,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $761,798,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $478,295,000 after buying an additional 1,423,353 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $173,692,000. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $173,347,000 after acquiring an additional 383,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $75,493,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $238.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 695,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,423,836. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.27, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $232.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.14. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $284.48.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.