Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,348,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 201,989 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.81% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $532,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $230.63 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.04.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 69.10%.

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

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.