Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Cove Private Wealth LLC

Cove Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 46.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,818 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 893 shares during the period. Cove Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.33.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $193.65 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. 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 capitalization of $55.51 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $175.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.50 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.