iA Global Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 42.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,405 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,738 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $266,974,000 after buying an additional 424,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $404,485,000 after acquiring an additional 348,335 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX traded up $0.76 during trading on Thursday, reaching $228.76. 1,602,261 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,535,158. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $65.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $232.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.85.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 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%. Research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.