First Horizon Advisors Inc. Sells 85 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,736 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 85 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares during the period. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 16,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,302,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 714,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $174,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.68 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $67.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $238.45 and its 200 day moving average is $240.53.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. On average, 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barclays increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.00.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.