Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 29,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 464 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $3,458,000. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Hutchinson Financial Advisors INC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,024,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $193.97 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $162.29 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $187.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.88. The company has a market cap of $55.60 billion, a PE ratio of 34.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

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.