Invesco Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Invesco Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,059,156 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 501,618 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned 1.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $526,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,324 shares of company stock valued at $245,860. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1%

BDX opened at $193.68 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.28 billion, a PE ratio of 33.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $188.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.61.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 71.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Argus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.45.

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.