B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Has $1.87 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,664 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 847 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mendel Money Management lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 this link. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of 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, StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $233.74 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $224.00 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $234.48 and its 200-day moving average is $237.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.