Aigen Investment Management LP Sells 1,377 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aigen Investment Management LP reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 58.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 985 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,377 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,607,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 55,001 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $12,478,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 51,180 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $11,611,000 after buying an additional 17,292 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 4,056 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ariston Services Group raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. Ariston Services Group now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $226.44. The company had a trading volume of 423,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,505,871. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $232.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.57. 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 company has a market capitalization of $65.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current 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 $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.