ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 97 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of BDX traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $234.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,265,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,116,801. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $67.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $240.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.42.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by 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.