TFB Advisors LLC Acquires 210 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

TFB Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the quarter. TFB Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after acquiring an additional 172,005 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after acquiring an additional 19,200 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $761,798,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,433,842 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $585,266,000 after purchasing an additional 176,027 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $223.87. 2,109,933 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,432,418. The company has a market capitalization of $64.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.20.

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. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. 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 research note on Monday, May 6th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.86.

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.