Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 57 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,942.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112 over the last quarter. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $3.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $239.47. The stock had a trading volume of 510,266 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,299. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $284.48. The stock has a market cap of $69.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

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.