Rathbones Group PLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,839 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $28,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 50.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 82,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,808,000 after buying an additional 27,581 shares during the period. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $6,406,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $744,000 after buying an additional 748 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth about $224,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.53 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $198.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $55.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on BDX. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.44.

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.