Sandy Cove Advisors LLC Acquires New Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sandy Cove Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,732,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 70.4% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 7,196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,972 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 116.3% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,194 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after acquiring an additional 5,482 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 54,217 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,016,000 after acquiring an additional 15,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 4,418 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last three months. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of BDX traded up $2.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $233.71. The company had a trading volume of 2,404,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,471,420. The stock has a market cap of $67.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $224.00 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $234.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $237.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.