Sapient Capital LLC Makes New $1.28 Million Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,280,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 25,820 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,675,000 after buying an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 1,167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC now owns 20,766 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,369,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC now owns 46,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,988,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Everhart Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $5.67 on Friday, reaching $234.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,722,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,291,373. The business’s 50 day moving average is $238.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company has a market cap of $67.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.45.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be 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 of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays boosted 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.