Intech Investment Management LLC Lowers Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 62.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 18,505 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,918,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,804 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.9% during the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 3,929 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $837,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the first quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.5% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 24,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,548,000 after purchasing an additional 5,659 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $192.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a PE ratio of 34.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $186.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.21. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The business 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%. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

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.