Carret Asset Management LLC Buys 773 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Carret Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 773 shares during the quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $761,798,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after acquiring an additional 516,427 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,121,000 after acquiring an additional 473,914 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after acquiring an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 117.1% in the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 710,932 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $173,347,000 after purchasing an additional 383,485 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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 stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $228.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 509,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,436,931. 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 market cap of $66.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.20, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $234.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $237.71. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $224.00 and a 12-month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.86.

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.