Cardinal Capital Management Purchases 2,704 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,704 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the period. Caden Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after buying an additional 17,599 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.68 on Thursday, reaching $230.94. 1,209,310 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,443,849. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.82, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.88.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

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.