Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,910,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 128,349 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.67% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $433,336,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 %

BDX traded up $2.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $204.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,345,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,171,870. The company has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $219.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $227.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. 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 note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.