Congress Asset Management Co. MA Has $504,000 Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Congress Asset Management Co. MA trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,466 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake 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 valued at $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the period. Caden Capital Partners LP raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 17,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $233.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $67.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $234.48 and a 200-day moving average of $237.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. 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 results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on 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.