Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $761,798,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after acquiring an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,121,000 after acquiring an additional 473,914 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the third 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. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% in the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $173,347,000 after acquiring an additional 383,485 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Two 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $238.29 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $234.35 and its two-hundred 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 has a 1-year low of $224.00 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.49, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio 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.