By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,630,000 shares, a growth of 38.4% from the November 30th total of 1,900,000 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.
Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,764,340 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after buying an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $655,149,000 after purchasing an additional 688,296 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,293,635,000 after buying an additional 460,440 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,974,000 after acquiring an additional 424,487 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded 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, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BDX
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.9 %
Shares of BDX traded down $1.98 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $226.51. 1,695,389 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,486,614. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89. The firm has a market cap of $65.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $228.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.73.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.
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.
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