Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Sells 22,073 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 22,073 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $23,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $767,000. Busey Bank raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

BDX stock traded down $1.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $230.63. 4,372,179 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,075,319. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $232.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.