Vestor Capital LLC Sells 32,335 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vestor Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 67.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,282 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 32,335 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $230.63 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.04. The company has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.31, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight research 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 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.