Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 4,779 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 67,540 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,779 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 15,363 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,827,000 after purchasing an additional 3,541 shares during the period. First County Bank CT purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 14,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,728,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $342,000. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 72,798 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,626,000 after purchasing an additional 2,742 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 1,036 shares of company stock worth $197,225 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $196.59 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $162.29 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $189.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.73. The firm has a market cap of $56.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Equities 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 72.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.64.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.