Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 1,348 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,529 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,348 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,190,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on 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. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.8 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $231.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.