Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Purchases Shares of 23,719 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,719 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $5,381,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,693,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $676,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $278.29.

Remove Ads

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $227.96. 1,675,001 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,535,323. The business's 50 day moving average price is $232.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents 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 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.