Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $235.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $68.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $226.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.50. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.