Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Catalyst Financial Partners LLC

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 124 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $321,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 worth $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during 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. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after acquiring an additional 304,629 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 89,714 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $3.57 on Wednesday, reaching $233.58. 1,737,586 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,412,440. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.51 billion, a PE ratio of 51.45, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $238.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Becton, Dickinson and 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.