Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Sells 41,701 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 51.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 39,218 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 41,701 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,755,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,458,000. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $344,000. Versor Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.2% during the second quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $747,000 after buying an additional 1,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hutchinson Financial Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,024,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.93 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.77. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a PEG 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. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 72.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on BDX. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

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.