Mach 1 Financial Group LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mach 1 Financial Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 586 shares during the quarter. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 84,714 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,901,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Management now owns 1,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $410,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Toews Corp ADV bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $750,000. Finally, Vicus Capital raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 221.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 2,437 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $234.60. 1,624,484 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,365,751. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $238.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.