Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Cuts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 214,225 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 50,205 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $36,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,880,510,000 after purchasing an additional 448,644 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,513,421,000 after purchasing an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,466,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,153,157,000 after buying an additional 244,199 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $190.90 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $54.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $186.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.