Capital Analysts LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 10,215 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $33.00 on Thursday, hitting $174.09. The stock had a trading volume of 6,427,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,761,070. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $217.21 and a 200-day moving average of $226.70. The company has a market capitalization of $49.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 52-week low of $174.01 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

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 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 the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.86.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company'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 directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.