Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Foundations Investment Advisors LLC

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 142.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,807 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $864,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Creative Planning lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $11,149,000 after acquiring an additional 2,314 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. Brown Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $690,000. Creekside Partners purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $9,635,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $248.34. 1,401,884 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,959,590. The firm's fifty day moving average is $229.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.55. The company has a market capitalization of $72.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $250.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.03%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.