Linscomb Wealth Inc. Sells 507 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Linscomb Wealth Inc. reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,370 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 507 shares during the quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the first quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 3,951 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $4.52 on Friday, hitting $237.30. 1,384,408 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,257,695. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $286.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.16. The firm has a market cap of $68.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.27, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced 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 business had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.