Hall Laurie J Trustee Acquires 375 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hall Laurie J Trustee increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Romano Brothers AND Company raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 14,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 12,186 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $591,000. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,912,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shelton Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $891,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $237.57 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $248.42. The company has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $227.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.

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.