Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 29.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,211 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 4,863 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $231.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.76. 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 has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is 69.10%.

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.