Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 298,286 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,272 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.10% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $67,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,782,894 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $404,485,000 after acquiring an additional 348,335 shares during the period. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,036,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

BDX opened at $227.95 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $232.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’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 value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.