Northwest Bank & Trust Co Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Northwest Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 620 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $151,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its position 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 valued at $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after purchasing an additional 22,207 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caden Capital Partners LP grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after purchasing an additional 17,599 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $233.73. 1,053,942 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,573,150. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $234.89 and its 200-day moving average is $237.90. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $224.00 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The firm has a market cap of $67.55 billion, a PE ratio of 51.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.