M&T Bank Corp Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,001 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $12,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised 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 during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were 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 represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.0 %

BDX opened at $224.17 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $64.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $233.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.83. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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 forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays upped their price objective on 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target 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.