Armor Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 214 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Armor Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. Armor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on 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. 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $229.35 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. 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 0.74. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.02.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.