Van ECK Associates Corp Has $2.64 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 337 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,641,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $237.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $238.27 and a 200-day moving average of $239.97. The company has a market capitalization of $68.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.