Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,459 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,463 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $13,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $767,000. Busey Bank increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler increased their price target 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. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of BDX traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $227.96. 1,675,001 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,535,323. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.91. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.