National Bank of Canada FI Buys 141,221 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 83.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 309,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 141,221 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $76,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,703,041,000 after buying an additional 516,427 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,342,503,000 after purchasing an additional 512,566 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $938,593,000 after purchasing an additional 304,629 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,135,238 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $810,553,000 after purchasing an additional 89,714 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $5.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $234.68. 1,722,353 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,291,373. The stock has a market cap of $67.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $238.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.27. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.40 and a 52-week 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

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.