Machina Capital S.A.S. Purchases 6,049 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 597.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,049 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.1% of Machina Capital S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $461,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263,391 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,192,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,342,503,000 after acquiring an additional 512,566 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,139,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,121,000 after acquiring an additional 473,914 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.57 on Tuesday, hitting $237.15. 1,090,654 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,403,292. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $238.35 and a 200-day moving average of $240.12. The stock has a market cap of $68.54 billion, a PE ratio of 52.11, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.40.

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.