Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,824 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,007 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after buying an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.01 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.85 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $240.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a PE ratio of 54.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.98 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.