Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,346,744 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,251,742 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned approximately 4.26% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $2,801,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after acquiring an additional 184,288 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,437,161,000 after purchasing an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $967,745,000 after buying an additional 267,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $205.30. 1,690,556 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,733,174. The company's 50 day moving average price is $218.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $227.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $272.86.

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.