Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC Acquires 181 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,550 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $226.43 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $65.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $232.78 and its 200 day moving average is $232.29. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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 raised their target price on shares of 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, Piper Sandler raised their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.