Mariner LLC Buys 2,615 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,031,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $8,382,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted 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 acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $915,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

BDX traded down $1.91 on Friday, hitting $198.50. The company had a trading volume of 4,062,543 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,712,005. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $220.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $228.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler lifted their target price 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, Barclays dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.

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.