Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Has $37.56 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 165,546 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,484 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.06% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $37,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 135,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $30,974,000 after buying an additional 6,265 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 22,820 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,668,000 after purchasing an additional 3,138 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 34,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,887,000 after purchasing an additional 3,855 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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 research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.1 %

BDX traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $225.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,332,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,130,807. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $232.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.