Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 1,007 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,824 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,007 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $231.01 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $229.85 and a 12 month high of $287.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $240.49 and its 200-day moving average is $242.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.74, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

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.