Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after acquiring an additional 512,566 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after purchasing an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $4.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $230.03. The stock had a trading volume of 346,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,402,495. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $66.48 billion, a PE ratio of 51.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $237.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.60.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, 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 value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 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. Insiders sold a total of 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786 in the last three months. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.