Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Sells 179 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,723 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 148.0% in the first quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 248 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.7% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,495.2% in the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 225,680 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $55,790,000 after buying an additional 216,984 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.5% in the first quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $226.00. 33,604 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,425,035. The business’s 50 day moving average is $233.03 and its 200-day moving average is $237.02. The company has a market capitalization of $65.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 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 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.86 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.