Lionshead Wealth Management LLC Takes $359,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lionshead Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 1,583 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $167.22 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $208.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.92. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes 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 leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.