SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 9,483 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 61.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 9,483 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,149,000 after buying an additional 2,314 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $240,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $351,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.1 %

BDX opened at $248.55 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $228.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.