Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC Buys 92 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,363 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 3,988 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 1,587 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $3,543,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $224.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.88. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $64.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.