Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Cuts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 41,701 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $212,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,000. Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,593,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 325,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $56,195,000 after buying an additional 56,292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $200.37 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $57.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Argus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.91.

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.