Headlands Technologies LLC decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 95.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,955 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $29,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,854,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 51.8% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 62,762 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,132,000 after purchasing an additional 21,427 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 646.8% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 590 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 561.5% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.8 %
Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $1.65 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $203.43. The stock had a trading volume of 118,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,199. The business's fifty day moving average price is $223.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $58.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.
Read Our Latest Analysis on BDX
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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