Confluence Investment Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 79,799 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $19,746,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares in the last quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after buying an additional 17,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after buying an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $233.74 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.48 and a 200-day moving average of $237.86. The company has a market capitalization of $67.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.