Comerica Bank Has $14.27 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Comerica Bank cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,692 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $1,583,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 408,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $92,585,000 after acquiring an additional 14,258 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 487,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $110,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,864 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,724,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $618,074,000 after purchasing an additional 115,943 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,419,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $321,981,000 after purchasing an additional 311,915 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $169.56 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $169.52 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company's 50 day moving average price is $215.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $226.21. The firm has a market cap of $48.69 billion, a PE ratio of 28.17, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm 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%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays cut their price target 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. Bank of America lowered shares of 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 report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.50.

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.

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