XTX Topco Ltd Acquires New Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 20,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $4,682,000. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 0.4% of XTX Topco Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank raised its position 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 valued at $15,031,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $8,382,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in 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 valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,078 shares of company stock worth $915,986 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

BDX stock traded down $1.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $198.50. 4,062,543 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,710,218. The company has a 50-day moving average of $220.84 and a 200-day moving average of $228.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $193.03 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $275.71.

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.