Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $963,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $231.50. The company had a trading volume of 59,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,434,367. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $224.00 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $234.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.93. 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 firm has a market cap of $66.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.17.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.