Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Procyon Advisors LLC

Procyon Advisors LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,484 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,237 shares during the quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $246.74. 64,293 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,457,631. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $238.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $245.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.85 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

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.