Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Cut by Crescent Sterling Ltd.

Crescent Sterling Ltd. lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 470 shares during the quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,445.5% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $233.65 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.45. The company has a market capitalization of $67.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

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.