Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by United Asset Strategies Inc.

United Asset Strategies Inc. reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 85.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,180 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 13,336 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $531,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SVB Wealth LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 6,569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,602,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Grant GrossMendelsohn LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.9% during the 4th quarter. Grant GrossMendelsohn LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,701,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. LifePlan Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $538,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 32,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,955,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $232.26 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $67.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.04, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $240.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.65. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

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.