Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Increased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,157 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $246.85 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $250.91. The stock has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $229.10 and its 200-day moving average is $233.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.69%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.