Cardinal Capital Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cardinal Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 128,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,633 shares during the quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $29,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,938 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 58.3% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,577 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnus Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $330,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $238.05 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $227.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.