Carret Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Carret Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 773 shares during the quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,913,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $228.84. The stock had a trading volume of 509,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,436,931. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.71. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $224.00 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.14 billion, a PE ratio of 50.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated 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 objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.86.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.