Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Has $3.50 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 99.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,433 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,682 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.3% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 940 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,713 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 93.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 151,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,426,000 after acquiring an additional 73,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 309.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 47,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $11,443,000 after purchasing an additional 35,858 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $196.88 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $220.26 and a 200-day moving average of $228.15. The stock has a market cap of $56.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler increased 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. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.

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.

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