1,837 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by BankPlus Wealth Management LLC

BankPlus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,837 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,227,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,149,000 after purchasing an additional 2,314 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $240,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $351,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $248.55 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.49. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $228.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.15. The company has a market capitalization of $72.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.