Ellevest Inc. Has $202,000 Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ellevest Inc. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 40.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 602 shares during the quarter. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of BDX opened at $167.22 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $208.84 and a 200-day moving average of $222.92.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

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.