Natural Investments LLC Sells 538 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Natural Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 27.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,424 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 538 shares during the quarter. Natural Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $31,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.4%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $186.41 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.03. The company has a market cap of $53.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G 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 quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Argus lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.

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.