Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 48 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted 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 research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $246.53 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.85 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a market cap of $71.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.42, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.42. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $245.05.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction 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 $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.