Vestor Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vestor Capital LLC reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 67.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,282 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 32,335 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 27,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,215,000 after acquiring an additional 8,652 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 423,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $96,133,000 after buying an additional 13,520 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $236,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 6,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $227.95. 1,369,630 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,535,698. The firm has a market cap of $65.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $232.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on 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, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.