KCM Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

KCM Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,465 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 386 shares during the quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $3,458,000. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $344,000. Versor Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.2% in the second quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $747,000 after acquiring an additional 1,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hutchinson Financial Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $1,024,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3%

BDX stock opened at $177.88 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.15. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.27.

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.