Rafferty Asset Management LLC Buys 3,461 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,777 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,461 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $175.37 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $203.61 and its 200 day moving average is $220.80. The company has a market cap of $50.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan 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. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

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.