Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc trimmed its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,505 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,544 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after acquiring an additional 460,440 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $266,974,000 after purchasing an additional 424,487 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $2.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $225.15. 1,795,591 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,508,057. The firm has a market cap of $64.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.40, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $232.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.65. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780 in the last quarter. 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.