Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Reduces Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,406 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 208 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $482,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% during the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Marion Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the third quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 8,398 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,171,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, NovaPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the third quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC now owns 13,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,600,000 after buying an additional 502 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.36 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $239.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $67.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report 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 report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.00.

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.