Scotia Capital Inc. Sells 1,334 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Scotia Capital Inc. lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,647 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,334 shares during the quarter. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $767,000. Busey Bank lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.6 %

BDX traded up $1.28 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $203.32. The company had a trading volume of 335,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,689,152. 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 $58.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $222.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.37. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 and a 12-month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's management 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.