Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC Sells 233 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,376 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 233 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $767,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $8,382,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $135,267,000 after buying an additional 12,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’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 value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of BDX traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $234.96. 420,584 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,520,734. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $226.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.14 billion, a PE ratio of 39.56, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.