Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP

L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,165 shares during the quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during 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 during the period. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth 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. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.4% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 265 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $170.86 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $48.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $215.54. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. 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 quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.