Avity Investment Management Inc. Sells 8,450 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avity Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,450 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 2.8% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $35,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Covea Finance grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Covea Finance now owns 58,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,300,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,152,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 7,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,643,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,641 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $235.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $226.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.