Webster Bank N. A. Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Webster Bank N. A. lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 784 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,604,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 51,157 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,606,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $69,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $243.69 on Monday. 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 firm 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $228.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.15. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $248.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS 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 dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.