Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $114,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 504 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $246.17 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.85 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $240.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price target 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. Raymond James upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently 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.