Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC Has $350,000 Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 47.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,544 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 496 shares during the quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $227.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $65.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.65.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.