Webster Bank N. A. Sells 875 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Webster Bank N. A. lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,529 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 875 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norway Savings Bank grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Norway Savings Bank now owns 2,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the period. Addenda Capital Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.3% in the 1st quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 30,123 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,454,000 after purchasing an additional 7,178 shares during the period. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.2% in the 1st quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 126.9% in the 1st quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 236 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $542,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on 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. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $2.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $233.71. 2,404,003 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,471,420. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $224.00 and a 52-week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.36 and a 200-day moving average of $237.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.