Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Breakwater Capital Group

Breakwater Capital Group lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed 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 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $233.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $224.00 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The stock has a market cap of $67.54 billion, a PE ratio of 51.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.83.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.