Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 75 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Howland Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,808 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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. Insiders have sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381 in the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.13 on Thursday, reaching $225.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,849,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,433,974. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.03 billion, a PE ratio of 49.31, a PEG ratio of 1.97 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The business 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 business posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued 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 price target of $280.14.

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.