Mattern Wealth Management LLC Sells 254 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mattern Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,268 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 254 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.1 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $248.55 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.49. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $228.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.15. The firm has a market cap of $72.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business 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 boost 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 1.67%. 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 research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

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 on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.