Xponance Inc. Has $9.04 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,056 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,035,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $114,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 504 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.0% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $1.07 on Friday, reaching $234.22. The company had a trading volume of 118,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,601. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.67 billion, a PE ratio of 55.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $287.32. The business’s 50-day moving average is $240.19 and its 200 day moving average is $242.58.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of 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. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.