Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Has $6.76 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 51.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 41,701 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $689,833,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake 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 valued at $1,466,613,000 after buying an additional 1,670,590 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $211,097,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $192.93 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $55.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $186.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.77.

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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. 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 Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

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.