Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Has $2.36 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,534 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 801 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $4.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $237.30. 1,384,408 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,257,695. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $236.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $286.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.58 billion, a PE ratio of 52.27, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.