Kennebec Savings Bank Has $64,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 40.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 269 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $64,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,716,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Creekside Partners acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $234,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,635,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $1,132,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $248.34 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $250.91. The company has a market capitalization of $72.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.81, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program 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 programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.