Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Central Bank & Trust Co. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,425 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 722 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $761,798,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after acquiring an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,121,000 after acquiring an additional 473,914 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $173,347,000 after acquiring an additional 383,485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Barclays upped 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 research note on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group began 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 for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0 %

BDX traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $238.29. 2,014,700 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,476,021. The company’s 50 day moving average is $234.35 and its 200-day moving average is $237.87. The company has a market cap of $68.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.49, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44. 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’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 value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 in the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.