Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by PFG Advisors

PFG Advisors reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 129 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.4% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock 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 quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.33. The firm has a market cap of $65.02 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.