Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Cuts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,746 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,900 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,420,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

BDX opened at $227.54 on Monday. 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. The stock has a market cap of $65.33 billion, a PE ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average of $232.90 and a 200-day moving average of $233.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler increased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.