AMI Asset Management Corp Boosts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AMI Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 234,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 19,313 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 3.0% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. AMI Asset Management Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $58,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $228.84. 509,817 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,231,673. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $66.14 billion, a PE ratio of 50.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.07 and a 200-day moving average of $237.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. 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. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.86.

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.