Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by D.B. Root & Company LLC

D.B. Root & Company LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,629 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 274 shares during the quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $233.71. The stock had a trading volume of 2,404,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,471,420. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.85. The company has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a PE ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $224.00 and a 1 year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.