Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Acquires 4,838 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,759 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,838 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $19,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 713,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $161,845,000 after acquiring an additional 95,221 shares during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 59,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,453,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 18,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,211,000 after purchasing an additional 6,057 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 944 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $226.43 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $65.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $232.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current 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 given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits 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 management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.