Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 851,001 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 72.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 328,714 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 851,001 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $74,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $0.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $226.96. 594,265 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,046,950. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $232.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $65.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.73, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.