1,837 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by BankPlus Wealth Management LLC

BankPlus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,837 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $417,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.05 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $249.75. 1,741,418 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,983,307. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $250.91. The company has a market cap of $72.43 billion, a PE ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $228.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.