Avity Investment Management Inc. Increases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 163,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,928 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises 3.0% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $37,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,044 shares of company stock valued at $836,000. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $170.74 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $48.93 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 79.39%.

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.