Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Ninety One North America Inc.

Ninety One North America Inc. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 195,456 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 30,136 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 2.3% of Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $47,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95,813.8% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,045,643 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,028,807,000 after acquiring an additional 4,041,425 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $697,398,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% in the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $461,158,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263,391 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 262.0% in the third quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 847,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $219,091,000 after acquiring an additional 613,369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after acquiring an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.18 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $231.03. 227,845 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,397,817. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $240.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.