Bfsg LLC Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bfsg LLC lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,455 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,602,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% in the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 6,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,459,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,040,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $224.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. 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. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $232.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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 initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.