Apollon Wealth Management LLC Has $2.71 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,109 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,932 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $461,158,000 after buying an additional 1,263,391 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,121,000 after purchasing an additional 473,914 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.56 on Tuesday, hitting $237.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,120,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,408,706. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $238.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by 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.