Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. Invests $74,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $74,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vicus Capital acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $601,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 24,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,067,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the period. Norway Savings Bank grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 2,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the period. Finally, Addenda Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.3% during the 1st quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 30,123 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,454,000 after buying an additional 7,178 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $2.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $233.71. 2,404,003 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,471,420. The stock 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $234.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.85. 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 one year low of $224.00 and a one year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.