Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Shares Sold by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,815 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,457 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the second quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 2,844 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the second quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 2,254 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.3% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 18,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,255,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Plancorp LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $257.00 to $215.00 in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE BDX opened at $177.88 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $186.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 71.36%.

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.