Welch & Forbes LLC Lowers Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Welch & Forbes LLC lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,836 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 634 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $21,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Dover Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 2,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Mendel Money Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 818 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.92 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $236.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,255,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,412,024. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $238.35 and its 200-day moving average is $240.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.11, a P/E/G 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.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.