Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Harbor Investment Advisory LLC

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 75.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,329 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,138 shares during the quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $240.19 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $248.42. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,344 shares of company stock valued at $2,090,716 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.