Vest Financial LLC Cuts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 225,194 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 12,659 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $51,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 3,138 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.9% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 14,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,319,000 after acquiring an additional 6,759 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 163.3% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,344,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:BDX opened at $170.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,044 shares of company stock worth $836,000 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.