Wellington Shields & Co. LLC Sells 100 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wellington Shields & Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 11,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,630,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $404,485,000 after buying an additional 348,335 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,833.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 119,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,019,000 after buying an additional 112,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 20,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,542,000 after buying an additional 1,632 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $226.43 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $65.02 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.