Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Boosted by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,056 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,421 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,035,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $234.22. 118,023 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,389,601. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $240.19 and its 200 day moving average is $242.58. The stock has a market cap of $67.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43. 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 $229.40 and a 1-year high of $287.32.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.