Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 65 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,491 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 65 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded up $4.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $237.30. 1,384,408 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,257,695. 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 has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $286.46. The stock has a market cap of $68.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.28, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $232.24 and its 200 day moving average is $236.17.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.13.

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.