Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Sky Investment Group LLC

Sky Investment Group LLC trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,305 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 763 shares during the period. Sky Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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 target on the stock. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays increased 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 note on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $2.20 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,075,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,446,660. The stock has a market cap of $67.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. 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 has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $283.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.