Trueblood Wealth Management LLC Takes $360,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Trueblood Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,477 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $247.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,093,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,475,061. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $71.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.77, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $239.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $245.06. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.85 and a one year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.