Equitable Trust Co. Has $1.89 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 23.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,946 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $689,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $211,097,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $155,080,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,567,654,000 after acquiring an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $188.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $190.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.87, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Argus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.40.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.