Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC.

Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the period. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,369,681,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after acquiring an additional 172,005 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after acquiring an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $761,798,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $227.76. 617,155 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,111,338. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $233.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.51. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $224.00 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.17, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.86.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

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.