Birch Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Free Report) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.2% of Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 1,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.7 %
NYSE BDX traded up $1.71 on Tuesday, hitting $232.41. 948,762 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,401,563. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $67.40 billion, a PE ratio of 39.13, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $227.09 and a 200-day moving average of $232.49. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % 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, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,764,340 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
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.
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