Aviva PLC Buys 35,401 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aviva PLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 174,077 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 35,401 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $39,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after buying an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,378,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $766,572,000 after buying an additional 212,635 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6 %

BDX traded up $1.29 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $200.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 561,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,138,462. The stock's 50-day moving average is $224.78 and its 200-day moving average is $230.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $193.03 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.