Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Increased by SVB Wealth LLC

SVB Wealth LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. 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. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently 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 dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $233.15 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The company has a market cap of $67.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $240.19 and a 200-day moving average of $242.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

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.