Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Sells 309 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 309 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 919,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $223,795,000 after buying an additional 122,038 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,609 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,368,000 after buying an additional 2,005 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $36,314,000. Financial & Tax Architects LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 20,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,063,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $235.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $240.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.73, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.85 and a 12-month high of $287.32.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James boosted their target price 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 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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 operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.