NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Has $2.06 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,997 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th 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. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of BDX opened at $172.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $213.07. 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 firm has a market cap of $49.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid 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 2.42%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating 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 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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