NTV Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

NTV Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,182 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 753 shares during the period. NTV Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $461,158,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263,391 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,342,503,000 after purchasing an additional 512,566 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,121,000 after purchasing an additional 473,914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.4 %

BDX stock traded down $5.67 on Friday, hitting $234.68. 1,722,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,291,373. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $238.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.53.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.