Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Saratoga Research & Investment Management

Saratoga Research & Investment Management cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 76,125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,219 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 0.9% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $17,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.5% during the third quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 147.5% in the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 1,302 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 70,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $17,095,000 after acquiring an additional 4,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

BDX stock opened at $227.34 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $231.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.72. The company has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.