Mather Group LLC. Buys 562 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 562 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other 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 directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded down $0.27 on Tuesday, reaching $235.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,276,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,890. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $284.48. The company has a market cap of $68.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.30.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup reduced 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. Barclays boosted 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 report on Monday, May 6th. 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 for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.