AXS Investments LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AXS Investments LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 621.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,181 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 5,324 shares during the quarter. AXS Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded down $4.10 on Thursday, reaching $230.35. 1,302,573 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,409,990. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a PE ratio of 51.64, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $237.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.