Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 36.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,728 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 728 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $172.11 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $49.33 billion, a PE ratio of 28.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $182.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.60.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

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.