Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Grows Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 48.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 6,057 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm's 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 owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $4.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $232.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,638,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,519,904. The company has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.56, a P/E/G 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 simple moving average of $232.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

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 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%. On average, research analysts expect 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 has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.