Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 168 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,104 shares of company stock worth $399,675. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America lowered shares of 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of BDX stock opened at $174.31 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $213.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $49.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.