Geode Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.19% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,437,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 12,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,030,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,207,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $247,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 5,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,292,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 6.1 %

BDX stock traded down $13.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $208.03. 6,623,773 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,653,673. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $204.95 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.33. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.