Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

BDX stock traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $228.51. 156,678 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,434,151. The company has a market capitalization of $66.04 billion, a PE ratio of 50.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $224.00 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.86.

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.