Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC Sells 91 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,559 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 91 shares during the period. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 6,190 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $232.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $242.65. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate 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.