Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 88.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,713 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 21,561 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% during the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $1,693,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $232.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus 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.