MetLife Investment Management LLC Acquires 1,345 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 76,505 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $17,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was 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 owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.1 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $2.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $204.45. 1,345,688 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,729,954. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $219.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $227.78.

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 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts anticipate 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 of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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