924 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 924 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.3% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 11,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,871,000 after acquiring an additional 6,264 shares during the last quarter. Thomasville National Bank lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% during the first quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 30,187 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,470,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $221,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 6,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0 %

BDX stock opened at $238.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.87 billion, a PE ratio of 52.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $234.35 and its 200 day moving average is $237.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.