By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Abacus Wealth Partners LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Free Report) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 83 shares during the period. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $767,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $8,382,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $135,267,000 after purchasing an additional 12,845 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.
Get Our Latest Research Report on BDX
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
Shares of BDX opened at $237.57 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $227.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.64. The stock has a market cap of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $248.42.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.
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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