Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by Auxier Asset Management

Auxier Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,074 shares during the quarter. Auxier Asset Management's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $3.10 on Tuesday, reaching $174.48. 2,010,580 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,932,323. 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 has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $197.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $218.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America downgraded 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, May 1st. Barclays lowered 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. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.44.

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.