Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 30.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 24,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,659 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after acquiring an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after acquiring an additional 66,024 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $967,745,000 after acquiring an additional 267,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the firm’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. The trade was 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 Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of BDX stock opened at $185.52 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $53.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.