Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,417 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $59,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.6% in the first quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 9,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,414,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 29,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,272,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Mirova acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $471,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,389 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased 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 report on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.14.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $3.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $237.34. 1,218,022 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,425,095. 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 has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $286.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.29 and a 200 day moving average of $236.27. The company has a market cap of $68.59 billion, a PE ratio of 52.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $71,793.00. Following 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.