Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Ariston Services Group

Ariston Services Group raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 45.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the quarter. Ariston Services Group’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew 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 buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. 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. 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, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $228.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $65.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $233.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.98. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.