Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC Acquires 10,393 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,404 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 10,393 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 2.1% of Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $176.73. 1,678,603 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,906,971. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $50.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $203.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.72.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program 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. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was 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 approximately $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.