Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Buys 406 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 112.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 766 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $114,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $778,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 504 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.0% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $233.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a market capitalization of $67.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.25, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $240.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.98 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays increased their target price 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 raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

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.