Spirepoint Private Client LLC Invests $385,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 11,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,871,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $1,018,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $257,000. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 11,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,825,000 after buying an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 58,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,215,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.14.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $230.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,075,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,283,397. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $232.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.42. 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 has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

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.