Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Portfolio Design Labs LLC

Portfolio Design Labs LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 59.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,640 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 611 shares during the quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $372,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its position in 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $225.72 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $232.36 and a 200-day moving average of $233.94. 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 company has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

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, topping 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%. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.