Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Cuts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 58,739 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 652 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.0%

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 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $53.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $202.53.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.22.

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.