Marshall Wace LLP Has $18.06 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 22,429 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $18,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 53,102 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $12,803,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 940 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.3% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,362,000 after buying an additional 3,713 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 93.8% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 151,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,426,000 after buying an additional 73,108 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of BDX stock traded up $2.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $204.45. 1,345,688 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,729,954. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $219.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $227.78. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $193.03 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan 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. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $272.86.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value 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 $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Company 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.