Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 322.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 64,163 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after buying an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 714,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $174,122,000 after buying an additional 7,790 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of BDX traded down $2.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.36. 1,166,667 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,467,729. The firm has a market cap of $68.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.92. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $224.00 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

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.