Avior Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,983 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,049 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on BDX. Barclays boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James boosted their price target on 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $66.74 billion, a PE ratio of 54.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $242.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $229.85 and a 52-week high of $287.32.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.98 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 90.05%.

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.