Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Sells $123,302.87 in Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE BDX traded down $0.93 on Wednesday, reaching $195.46. The stock had a trading volume of 3,305,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,855,737. The company has a market capitalization of $55.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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 company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $37,000. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $625,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.3% during the 3rd quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 27,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,164,000 after acquiring an additional 8,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 111,993 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,962,000 after acquiring an additional 3,201 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler cut their price target 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 upped their price objective on 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.64.

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.