Boltwood Capital Management Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Boltwood Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,057 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after acquiring an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after buying an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $761,798,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. 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. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $233.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $224.00 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.83. The company has a market cap of $67.55 billion, a PE ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

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.