Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Kanawha Capital Management LLC

Kanawha Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,964 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,447 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 1.5% of Kanawha Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Kanawha Capital Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $767,000. Busey Bank raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $225.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,335,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,146,855. The company has a market capitalization of $64.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.39, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its 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%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

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.