Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Acquires 100,684 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 796,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 100,684 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 1.1% of Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.27% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $180,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $240.19 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $227.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.70. The firm has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 1.72 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 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,344 shares of company stock valued at $2,090,716. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.