Curi RMB Capital LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Curi RMB Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 11,871 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,437,161,000 after buying an additional 66,024 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in 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 valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $967,745,000 after purchasing an additional 267,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $203.93. The stock had a trading volume of 574,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,161,469. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.78. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99. 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 stock has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a PE ratio of 33.87, a P/E/G 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 research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.