Birch Capital Management LLC Sells 1,000 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Birch Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.2% of Birch Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of BDX stock traded up $1.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $232.41. 948,762 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,401,563. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $227.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.49. The company has a market cap of $67.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,959 shares of company stock worth $1,764,340 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.