933 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by PAX Financial Group LLC

PAX Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 933 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $767,000. Busey Bank increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $8,382,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $208.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $59.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $230.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $204.95 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. 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 share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically 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.