Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd Sells 286,550 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd decreased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 99.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 820 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 286,550 shares during the quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 70.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,166 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,610,000 after buying an additional 4,617 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $371,000. Finally, Creative Planning raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,149,000 after buying an additional 2,314 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $243.69 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $248.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $228.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.08. The company has a market cap of $70.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.