Banque Transatlantique SA Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 19,405 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $4,380,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque de Luxembourg S.A. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,942,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,646,000. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,459,000. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 273.6% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,724 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,114,000 after buying an additional 10,051 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $168.64. The company had a trading volume of 2,471,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,853,184. The firm's fifty day moving average is $209.99 and its 200-day moving average is $223.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded 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, May 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 8,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.