Portland Global Advisors LLC Sells 4,460 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Portland Global Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 42.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,460 shares during the period. Portland Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Brady Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $989,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $185.52 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $53.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James Financial lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup downgraded 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 research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.22.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 directly owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company 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.