Becker Capital Management Inc. Sells 358 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Becker Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 358 shares during the quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,055,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,951,000 after acquiring an additional 20,859 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,382,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings 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 valued at $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.8 %

BDX opened at $206.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.83. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $193.03 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization of $59.24 billion, a PE ratio of 34.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays cut their price objective 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.86.

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.