DLK Investment Management LLC Has $4.15 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

DLK Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 917 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 1.7% of DLK Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. DLK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 1,668 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.2% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 222,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,016,000 after purchasing an additional 15,193 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $237.57 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.61. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

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.