Principal Securities Inc. Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 93.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,034 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $224.89 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 37.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $232.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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 report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 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.