Ingalls & Snyder LLC Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ingalls & Snyder LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,247 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% during the third quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $235.17 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.85 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.73, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $240.64 and a 200 day moving average of $243.22.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’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 transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

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.