Nebula Research & Development LLC Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Nebula Research & Development LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 263.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,532 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 10,537 shares during the quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,973 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,128,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Burling Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $607,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 161.4% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 254,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,733,000 after acquiring an additional 157,123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE BDX traded up $0.02 during trading on Monday, hitting $205.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,400,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,735,825. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $193.03 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $58.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $218.51 and its 200-day moving average is $227.20.

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, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective 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, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $272.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 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.