ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 30.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 326,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 139,760 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up about 0.5% of ExodusPoint Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP owned 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $74,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % 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, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $207.98. The company had a trading volume of 784,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,658,992. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $229.19 and its 200 day moving average is $231.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $199.37 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued 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 yield of 2.00%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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. Finally, 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.71.

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.