Cambridge Advisors Inc. Lowers Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cambridge Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 255 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third 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 period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on BDX. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $237.57 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $248.42. The company has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.03%.

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.