Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. lessened its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 18.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 270 shares during the quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $230.84. 1,471,771 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,445,623. The stock has a market cap of $66.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.88. 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 has a 12 month low of $224.00 and a 12 month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.