Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 160,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 28,499 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $36,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $767,000. Busey Bank increased its holdings in 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 valued at $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE BDX traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $227.54. 1,920,647 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. 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 has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.34. The company has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40.

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 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, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays increased 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.