Saratoga Research & Investment Management Sells 3,124 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 87,135 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,124 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 1.0% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $21,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $2.77 on Friday, reaching $233.71. The company had a trading volume of 2,404,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,471,420. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $224.00 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a PE ratio of 51.48, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

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.