D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,144 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have commented on BDX. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target on 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 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $278.29.
Check Out Our Latest Report on BDX
Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.39 on Friday, reaching $227.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,920,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.34. The stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. 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 announced 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.
Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
(
Free Report)
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.
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