Merit Financial Group LLC Sells 544 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Merit Financial Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 544 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $552,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $237.14 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $238.27 and its 200 day moving average is $239.97. The company has a market capitalization of $68.53 billion, a PE ratio of 52.23, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.