Koshinski Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,001 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,116 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.3 %

BDX traded down $5.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $235.17. 1,028,447 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,413. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.73, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $243.34. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $229.85 and a 12-month high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 90.05%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

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.