Venturi Wealth Management LLC Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1,896.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,737 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,364,096,000 after acquiring an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,510,050,000 after acquiring an additional 111,101 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,293,635,000 after acquiring an additional 460,440 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.39 on Friday, reaching $227.54. 1,920,647 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,087,390. The company has a market capitalization of $65.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $232.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.34.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.