Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,970,000 shares, a decline of 11.7% from the May 31st total of 2,230,000 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, 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 valued at $2,033,381 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE BDX traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $228.84. 509,815 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,436,932. The firm has a market cap of $66.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.20, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $224.00 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 10th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Evercore ISI decreased 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.