Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the 4th 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $767,000. Busey Bank boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $8,382,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 5.8 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $12.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $197.13. 778,333 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,670,768. The company has a market capitalization of $56.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $225.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $193.03 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

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 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase 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. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $275.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,196 shares of company stock valued at $962,685. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.