Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 37.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 40,166 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,115,000 after purchasing an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the third quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,302,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James raised their price objective 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 lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $233.15 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $240.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.36 billion, a PE ratio of 55.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $287.32.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

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.