Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 52.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 253 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $57,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $181,279,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $67,036,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of 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 lifted 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 note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.34 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $65.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $231.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.72.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program 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. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.