Confluence Investment Management LLC Has $18.40 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Confluence Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,098 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 195,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $457,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $522,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 101,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $24,497,000 after buying an additional 2,057 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,174,000 after acquiring an additional 808 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $227.85. The company had a trading volume of 334,652 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,486,127. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $227.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.64. The company has a market capitalization of $66.08 billion, a PE ratio of 38.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,764,340. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.