Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Sells 255 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 255 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $4,876,000. Cooper Financial Group increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 3,321 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $822,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $202,000. &PARTNERS bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $711,000. Finally, Running Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.2% during the first quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 37,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,280,000 after buying an additional 5,227 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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 shares were 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 owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.93 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $237.36. 190,256 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,441,288. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $68.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.49, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $234.35 and its 200-day moving average is $237.90.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

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.