Fosun International Ltd Sells 406 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fosun International Ltd lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 406 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 0.4% of Fosun International Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Fosun International Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.40.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.85 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $235.43. The company had a trading volume of 93,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,397,664. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $238.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $68.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.