Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 612 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,379 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $240.19 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $227.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. The stock has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,344 shares of company stock worth $2,090,716 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.