AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 408,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 14,258 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.14% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $92,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after buying an additional 184,288 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after buying an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock valued at $795,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $1.68 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $165.32. The company had a trading volume of 968,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,817,141. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, 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 quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $213.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.96. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $164.72 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect 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 stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

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.