Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stock Sold by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 195,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 45,331 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $35,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneco Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,601,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $217.95 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $60.05 billion, a PE ratio of 52.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $140.11 and a 12 month high of $219.78.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 101.45%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $208.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $628,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,134,230. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares in the company, valued at $3,717,022.80. This trade represents a 0.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,310 shares of company stock worth $688,650. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies. BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.