Forsta AP Fonden Has $12.60 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Forsta AP Fonden reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 55,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $34,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total value of $165,954.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE:BDX opened at $193.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $55.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $175.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.98.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.33.

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.