Sierra Ocean LLC Acquires Shares of 129 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $660,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Americana Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their target price 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. 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 upped their price target 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, February 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1 %

BDX stock opened at $225.11 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $64.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.39, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.