Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 225,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 46,483 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $51,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Busey Bank increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,031,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,382,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $199.97 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $219.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.95. The stock has a market cap of $57.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $193.03 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released 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%. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded 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 has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.

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