Two Sigma Advisers LP Grows Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 516,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 57,000 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.18% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $117,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5%

BDX traded down $0.95 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $172.19. 2,097,870 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,927,180. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $200.69 and a 200 day moving average of $219.68. The firm has a market cap of $49.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped 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 research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.44.

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.