Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,534 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 801 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 58.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after purchasing an additional 11,734 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 3,467 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $360,000. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $265,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $4.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $237.30. 1,384,408 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,257,695. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $232.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $286.46. The company has a market cap of $68.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.