Cape Investment Advisory Inc. Buys 1,381 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 613.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,606 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $395,000. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 39,453 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,951,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,241.7% during the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 26,250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,955,000 after purchasing an additional 25,129 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 4,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 11,362 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,578,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.47, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $233.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.02.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on BDX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.