Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $235.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $234.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $237.92. 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 1-year low of $224.00 and a 1-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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.