Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 81.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 270,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 121,662 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.09% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $61,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded down $1.13 during trading on Monday, reaching $229.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,214,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,535,776. The company has a market cap of $65.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.93.

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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 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%. As a group, 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 of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.