National Pension Service Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 510,182 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 10,622 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.18% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $124,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.5% during the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 2,949 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 14,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 10,212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,640,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $3.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $233.58. 1,737,586 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,412,440. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company’s 50-day moving average is $238.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.97. The company has a market capitalization of $67.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.45, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. 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 83.70%.

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.