MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,505 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,345 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $17,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norinchukin Bank The raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 11,307 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,565,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Ossiam grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Ossiam now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,925 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $3,885,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,910,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $433,336,000 after purchasing an additional 128,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 270,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,406,000 after buying an additional 13,260 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.71.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,078 shares of company stock worth $915,986 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $198.50 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $220.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $228.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $193.03 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.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.