Burling Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,675 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $607,000.
Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after purchasing an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $181,279,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were 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 approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were 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 represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance
Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $205.10. 1,400,220 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,825. The company has a market cap of $58.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.07, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $193.03 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $218.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $227.20.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $272.86.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BDX
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
(
Free Report)
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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