Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Lessened by Dover Advisors LLC

Dover Advisors LLC lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 112 shares during the quarter. Dover Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $793,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 21.4% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,394,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.6% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 56,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $13,502,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.54 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $65.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan 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 plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays boosted 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, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.