Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $61.44 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 81.6% in 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 270,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,662 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $61,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,693,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $232.68 and a 200-day moving average of $232.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

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, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.