227 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by VSM Wealth Advisory LLC

VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 227 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $51,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. ProVise Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 46,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,541,000 after buying an additional 6,344 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 41,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 55,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after purchasing an additional 9,101 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,626,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 15,263 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $232.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.12. The company has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts expect 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 has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler lifted 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 research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

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.