DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Sells 3,610 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 323,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,610 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $79,256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $5.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $241.87. The stock had a trading volume of 1,803,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,597,036. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $284.48.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

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.