Huntington National Bank Trims Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Huntington National Bank reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,929 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $4.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $209.16. The stock had a trading volume of 729,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,658,756. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $199.37 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $60.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.