Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Sells 417 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,180 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 417 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $235.00 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.