AJOVista LLC Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 516 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $126,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays raised their price objective 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.4 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $5.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $234.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,722,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,291,373. The stock has a market cap of $67.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.53. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.