Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 396 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Birch Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 11,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,838,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $246.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $250.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $229.10 and a 200 day moving average of $233.46.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

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.