Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Sells 353 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 353 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its position 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 valued at $731,000 after purchasing 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 first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $346,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $230.74. 1,075,022 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,283,397. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $232.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.14.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.