Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,117,971 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 228,640 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.39% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $253,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 3,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 7,901 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,792,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 66,353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $15,053,000 after buying an additional 12,847 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 106.6% in the fourth quarter. BOKF NA now owns 12,296 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,873,000 after buying an additional 6,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 16,816 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,815,000 after buying an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19% 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. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $175.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,772,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,876,600. The business has a fifty day moving average of $207.87 and a 200-day moving average of $222.48. The stock has a market cap of $50.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays cut their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of 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. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

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.