Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 58.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,320 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $222.65 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $232.82 and a 200 day moving average of $232.44.
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 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.
Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $278.29.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile
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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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