Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Shana Carol Neal Sells 788 Shares

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

BDX opened at $233.65 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $226.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. 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 stock has a market cap of $67.76 billion, a PE ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, research 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,445.5% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,336,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,658 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.