Thomasville National Bank Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Thomasville National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,753 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,533 shares during the quarter. Thomasville National Bank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,668,000 after buying an additional 3,138 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $21,607,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 45,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,371,000 after purchasing an additional 16,537 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.9%

BDX opened at $174.31 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $183.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $213.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America cut shares of 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 report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,104 shares of company stock worth $399,675 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.