Invesco Ltd. Buys 267,436 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 267,436 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 1.47% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $967,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $2.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $201.54. 1,850,652 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,685,646. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $193.03 and a 12 month high of $251.99. 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 stock has a market cap of $57.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $223.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.86.

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%. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.