C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors Buys Shares of 1,018 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,018 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after acquiring an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares during the period. Finally, Norden Group LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 %

BDX traded up $2.46 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $226.33. 447,361 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,424,840. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.11. The company has a market cap of $65.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.31, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.14.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were 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 approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 in the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.