Principal Securities Inc. Acquires 8,034 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 93.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 8,034 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $227.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,425,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,092,443. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.40. The business's 50-day moving average is $232.85 and its 200 day moving average is $233.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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 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, equities analysts forecast 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 has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase 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 will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $278.29.

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.