Short Interest in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Declines By 6.9%

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,160,000 shares, a drop of 6.9% from the June 30th total of 2,320,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded down $6.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $234.78. The company had a trading volume of 2,773,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,656. The company has a market capitalization of $67.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $232.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $236.24. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $284.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.13.

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.