Truist Financial Corp Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Truist Financial Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 66.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 218,846 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 87,091 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $49,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Good Life Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% in the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 6,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,459,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $2,040,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight 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 an average price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % 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, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $227.54. 1,920,647 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company's 50 day moving average price is $232.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.34 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. 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 (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is 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.