Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Lessened by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC reduced its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 202 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $540,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted 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, StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

BDX stock opened at $227.46 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $65.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.17. 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) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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 dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

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.