Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Sells $633,810.54 in Stock

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded up $4.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $228.41. 978,945 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,481,378. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $66.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $230.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 10,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,562,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $225,000. Wesleyan Assurance Society increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wesleyan Assurance Society now owns 45,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,685,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 86,677 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fullcircle Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $371,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.