Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $1.09 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 895 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 9,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,068,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $484,000. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,005,635 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $228,148,000 after acquiring an additional 146,357 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,131,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 10,348 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $226.43 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $65.02 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $232.78 and a 200-day moving average of $232.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, equities research 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 of Directors has initiated 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.