Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,058 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 569 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $509,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,732,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 70.4% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 7,196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,972 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 116.3% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,194 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,635,000 after purchasing an additional 5,482 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 54,217 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,016,000 after purchasing an additional 15,662 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the third quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 4,418 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $233.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.36 and a 200-day moving average of $237.84. The company has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.48, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $224.00 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.17.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’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 directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.31% 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.