Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 637 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,577 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 637 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 2.5% of Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $37,691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $2.77 on Friday, reaching $233.71. 2,100,394 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,453,708. The firm has a market cap of $67.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $234.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $237.84. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $224.00 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

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.