FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,819,083 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 141,406 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned about 0.63% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $412,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $735,523,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $181,279,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised 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. Finally, Barclays lowered 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 report on Monday, April 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $275.71.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BDX
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.4 %
Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $2.96 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $202.75. The company had a trading volume of 467,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,683,009. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $193.03 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $223.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.56. The company has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 33.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement
The business 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 2.05%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
(
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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