Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 21,561 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 88.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 21,561 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake 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 worth $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,293,635,000 after purchasing an additional 460,440 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $229.10. 1,214,432 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,535,776. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $65.78 billion, a PE ratio of 38.06, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.93.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.