Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Increased by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,002 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,950,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $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 quarter, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target 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. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of 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. 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $221.59 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.51. The company has a market cap of $63.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.81, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

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.