Westside Investment Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Westside Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 29.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 71 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $41,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,369,681,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,147,000 after purchasing an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $761,798,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,433,842 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $585,266,000 after purchasing an additional 176,027 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $228.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $66.14 billion, a PE ratio of 50.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $224.00 and a twelve month high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th were given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.86.

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.