Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 19,834 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Baird Financial Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,463 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 19,834 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 66,024 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX traded up $6.09 on Monday, reaching $173.31. 1,395,299 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,856,114. The firm has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.82, a P/E/G 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $208.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.92.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.