Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Cutler Investment Counsel LLC

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 46,686 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.6% of Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $52,000. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after buying an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after buying an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.84 on Friday, hitting $234.99. 516,434 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,394,977. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $240.19 and its 200 day moving average is $242.58. The company has a market capitalization of $67.89 billion, a PE ratio of 55.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

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.