First Eagle Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 31.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 2.2% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,004,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,280 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.65 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.44. The firm has a market cap of $63.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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 (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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 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.