Edge Capital Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Edge Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2,693.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,165 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 32,942 shares during the quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BDX. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,835,000 after buying an additional 3,570 shares during the period. Shariaportfolio Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Shariaportfolio Inc. now owns 7,940 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,801,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.5% during the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 10,783 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,446,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.54 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $65.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was 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 directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.