1,219 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by Fidelis Capital Partners LLC

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $242.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of 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 increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.