Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Summit Financial LLC

Summit Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 53.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $767,000. Busey Bank increased its position in shares of 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 worth $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target 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, 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.71.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm'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 value of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $2.46 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $204.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,584,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,653,737. The firm has a market cap of $58.83 billion, a PE ratio of 34.03, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 50 day moving average of $230.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $231.33. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $194.46 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.