Rempart Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Rempart Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,382 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 966 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 3.7% of Rempart Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Rempart Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $767,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $720,089,000 after buying an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $135,267,000 after buying an additional 12,845 shares during the period. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. Finally, Benson Investment Management Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,602 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $232.48. 201,881 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,344,843. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $226.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.42 billion, a PE ratio of 39.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,959 shares of company stock worth $1,764,340. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.