ProVise Management Group LLC Buys 467 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ProVise Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,365 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 467 shares during the quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mendel Money Management lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the third quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,303 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,537,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $932,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786 in the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of BDX stock traded down $1.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $228.79. 1,373,364 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,916. The stock has a market cap of $66.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.74, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.54. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $228.09 and a 12-month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.