Schroder Investment Management Group Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 233.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 72,714 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $23,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,792,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $1,971,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 98,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $22,296,000 after buying an additional 16,529 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 116,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,484,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,664,000 after buying an additional 1,499 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $2.46 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $204.88. The company had a trading volume of 3,818,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,662,298. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $199.37 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $58.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $229.19 and a 200 day moving average of $231.12. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.