Equitable Trust Co. Buys 543 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,865 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $185.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $174.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.25.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. On average, equities research 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 Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note 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. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a report 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 for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight 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, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.22.

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.