Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Has $1.56 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,685 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,293,635,000 after buying an additional 460,440 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of 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. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price target 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. Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $227.54. 1,920,647 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. The stock's 50-day moving average is $232.86 and its 200-day moving average is $233.34. 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 stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.