Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Lowers Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 52.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,683 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,892 shares during the period. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $366,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after acquiring an additional 66,024 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.4% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 467,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $106,098,000 after acquiring an additional 231,877 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,728 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $226.55 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $231.15 and a 200 day moving average of $231.58. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $65.05 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.