Clearstead Trust LLC Grows Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Clearstead Trust LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1,714.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the third quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Dover Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 2,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $699,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.0% during the third quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 818 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.4 %

BDX traded down $5.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $234.68. 1,722,353 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,291,373. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month 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 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $238.45 and a 200 day moving average of $240.53.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.98 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were 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 $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.