Olstein Capital Management L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 43,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.7% of Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,227,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 70.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,166 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,610,000 after acquiring an additional 4,617 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $371,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 682,830 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $159,584,000 after purchasing an additional 10,081 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $243.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $228.08 and a 200 day moving average of $233.00. The company has a market capitalization of $70.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.02, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $248.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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 return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.04 dividend. 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on 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. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 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, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.