Glenview Trust co Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Glenview Trust co cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,109 shares during the quarter. Glenview Trust co's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $16,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $458,000. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,611,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 56,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,717,000 after purchasing an additional 2,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $231.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,325,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,523,948. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $232.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,822 shares of company stock valued at $1,781,675 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.