Aprio Wealth Management LLC Purchases 294 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 33.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,218,000 after buying an additional 3,790 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,445.5% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $236.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $248.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $226.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.49.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. 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 payout ratio is 70.03%.

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.