Shelton Wealth Management LLC Invests $891,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Shelton Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 3,928 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $891,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $485,000. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 98,720 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $23,072,000 after buying an additional 1,931 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.7% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 436,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $101,940,000 after buying an additional 155,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the second quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 7,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,659,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $237.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $248.42. The stock has a market cap of $68.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $226.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.53.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.