Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,927 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,226 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $266,974,000 after acquiring an additional 424,487 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, reaching $227.95. 1,369,630 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,533,082. The firm has a market cap of $65.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average is $232.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 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%. As a group, research analysts expect 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 initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.