Summit Investment Advisors Inc. Has $2.86 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 24.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,591 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,068 shares during the quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altman Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 6,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $784,000. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 61,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,989,000 after buying an additional 14,619 shares during the period. Crux Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $278,000. Finally, Nicolet Bankshares Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. now owns 2,240 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler increased their target price on 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. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded down $1.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $198.50. 4,062,543 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,710,218. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $220.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.58. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold 4,078 shares of company stock worth $915,986 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.