Metis Global Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Metis Global Partners LLC reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,663 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 945 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Dover Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the third quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 2,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Mendel Money Management grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.0% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 818 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $281.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

BDX opened at $237.61 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $238.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.11, a PEG ratio of 1.92 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

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.