Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Valeo Financial Advisors LLC

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 106 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $511,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,951,000 after purchasing an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $767,000. Busey Bank boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction 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 $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE BDX opened at $224.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.