Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.00 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $196.36. The company had a trading volume of 127,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,423,355. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $189.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.09. The company has a market cap of $56.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 72.04%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.64.
View Our Latest Analysis on BDX
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.
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