Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 83.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 52,470 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after purchasing an additional 106,616 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,510,050,000 after buying an additional 111,101 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $2.46 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $204.89. 1,584,940 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,653,737. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $58.83 billion, a PE ratio of 34.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business's fifty day moving average is $230.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $194.46 and a one year high of $251.99.

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 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, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler boosted 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.

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.