Signal Advisors Wealth LLC Reduces Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Signal Advisors Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,961 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 167 shares during the quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:BDX opened at $173.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $49.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.78.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

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.