Ieq Capital LLC Purchases 15,247 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 122.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 15,247 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $487,590,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $215,000. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 3,674 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $227.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,920,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $232.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.34. The stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40.

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%. As a group, sell-side 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 authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign 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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of 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. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.