Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 27.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 25,020 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Silver Lake Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC now owns 21,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,182,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 3,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 125,972 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,716,000 after purchasing an additional 5,519 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $281.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.8 %

BDX stock opened at $236.60 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.12. The firm has a market cap of $68.38 billion, a PE ratio of 52.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.