Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by First United Bank & Trust

First United Bank & Trust trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,974 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. First United Bank & Trust’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,689 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 38,484 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,156 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hall Laurie J Trustee lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustee now owns 11,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,646,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $237.57 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $248.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $227.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,747 shares of company stock worth $1,949,520 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% 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.