Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Citizens & Northern Corp

Citizens & Northern Corp lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 186 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $761,798,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $461,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263,391 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after purchasing an additional 512,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $553,121,000 after purchasing an additional 473,914 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, 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 transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $4.69 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $229.76. 914,886 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,407,623. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $237.96 and its 200 day moving average is $238.60. The stock has a market cap of $66.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barclays boosted 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, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.