EP Wealth Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,171 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 151 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $761,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 508 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after acquiring an additional 11,734 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $4.52 during trading on Friday, hitting $237.30. 1,376,600 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,429,269. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.36, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. 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 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $286.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $232.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.24.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began 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 for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.13.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, 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 worth $2,033,381 in the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.