Arjuna Capital Purchases Shares of 6,761 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Arjuna Capital acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,761 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,534,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business'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 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 the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of BDX stock traded down $2.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $225.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,952,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,508,752. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $64.65 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $232.99 and its 200 day moving average is $232.65. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. 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 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.