Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Howe & Rusling Inc.

Howe & Rusling Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 26,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,515 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’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 sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $191.34 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.84 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.98.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.04%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.