Sax Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $36,314,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,609 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,368,000 after acquiring an additional 2,005 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,722 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the period. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC now owns 29,104 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,097,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 57,137 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,931,000 after purchasing an additional 21,531 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $235.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 801,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,096. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $233.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $68.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.96, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $283.78.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped 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 report on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s 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 sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.