B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Invests $983,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $983,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $36,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $200.37 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $189.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $184.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $162.29 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $57.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.91.

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.