Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $2.28 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. decreased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,031 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 956 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $383,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Addenda Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 38,484 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,156 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 11,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,646,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $240.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $248.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $227.44 and a 200-day moving average of $232.83.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

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.