Jacobi Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Jacobi Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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 shares were 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 approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were 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 approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of 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. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.14.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.35 on Monday, reaching $231.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 866,733 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,427,038. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The company has a market cap of $66.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.86, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.