Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 851,001 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 72.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 328,714 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 851,001 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.11% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $74,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $227.56 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.38. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $65.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.40. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS 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%. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

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.