SFE Investment Counsel Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

SFE Investment Counsel trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,385 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 723 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.7% of SFE Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $231.91. The stock had a trading volume of 420,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,400,148. The firm has a market cap of $67.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.04, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $240.34 and a 200 day moving average of $242.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

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.