Geode Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 66,024 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.19% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,437,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,030,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,207,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $247,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $226.04 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $64.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average is $231.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.62. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its 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%. Research 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 initiated a share buyback 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. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on 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. Barclays lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.