Quad Cities Investment Group LLC Buys Shares of 796 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Quad Cities Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 796 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Heritage Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 152.4% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Accel Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 254.0% during the 1st quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 177 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.72% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of BDX opened at $264.64 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $215.90 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $272.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.57.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.84 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 8.73%. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 8th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 66.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $284.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.44.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total transaction of $238,847.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,086,109.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.13, for a total transaction of $360,269.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,157 shares in the company, valued at $1,429,159.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total value of $238,847.68. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,086,109.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,581 shares of company stock worth $1,551,429 in the last quarter. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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's BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.