Mizuho Securities USA LLC Buys 8,652 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 46.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 8,652 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in 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 period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $767,000. Busey Bank lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of BDX stock traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $228.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,602,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,535,158. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.85. The company has a market cap of $65.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, 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 of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.