UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $327,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $767,000. Busey Bank increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business'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 transaction of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $229.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $231.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week 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 market capitalization of $65.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. 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 announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.