Appleton Partners Inc. MA Decreases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $5.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $241.87. 1,803,035 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,597,036. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.90 billion, a PE ratio of 53.28, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $284.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed 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 on the stock. Finally, Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.