Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP David Shan Sells 500 Shares

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $2.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $238.36. 269,168 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,990,069. The company has a market cap of $69.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $227.31 and a 200 day moving average of $232.79. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $248.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during 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 third quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup raised 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 research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.