Amalgamated Bank Sells 2,817 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Amalgamated Bank reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,817 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $17,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after purchasing an additional 512,566 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $938,593,000 after purchasing an additional 304,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,135,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $810,553,000 after purchasing an additional 89,714 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded down $5.73 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $234.62. The company had a trading volume of 1,722,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,413,846. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The company has a market capitalization of $67.78 billion, a PE ratio of 55.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.05%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related 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 transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

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.