Sax Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sax Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The transaction 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 firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $235.90. The stock had a trading volume of 801,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,096. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $283.78. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.25. The company has a market cap of $68.18 billion, a PE ratio of 51.96, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

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.