TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lessened its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 28.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,316 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,185 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.7 %
Shares of BDX stock opened at $199.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $57.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's 50 day moving average is $219.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $227.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $193.03 and a twelve month high of $251.99.
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 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.
Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share buyback 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 an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $275.71.
Get Our Latest Research Report on BDX
Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % 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 Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
About Becton, Dickinson and Company
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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