Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Lessened by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 317 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 152,293 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 66,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,179,000 after buying an additional 4,496 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 56,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,909,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 49,606 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,254,000 after buying an additional 7,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,137,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $248.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $72.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $229.59 and its 200-day moving average is $233.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $250.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.