Mattern Wealth Management LLC Sells 254 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mattern Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,268 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 254 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE BDX opened at $248.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $228.08 and a 200-day moving average of $233.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.