Bank of Montreal Can Sells 71,156 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 477,043 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 71,156 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $108,227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,819,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $412,695,000 after purchasing an additional 141,406 shares in the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $19,431,000. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,344,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 370,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $84,059,000 after buying an additional 68,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 6,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Piper Sandler upped 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $3.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $204.85. The stock had a trading volume of 309,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,989. The business's 50 day moving average price is $223.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $229.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $58.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.03, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

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.