Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. lessened its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 376 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $296,000. Bfsg LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 24,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,358,000 after buying an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $265,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $399,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.72% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.28 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $236.04. 181,940 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,172,715. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.82 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $68.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.13, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $257.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.01.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $3.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. The company had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.83 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.39%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $945,309.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $945,309.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total value of $238,847.68. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,086,109.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $284.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. TheStreet cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.33.

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's BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.