Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Has $1.09 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 97.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 183,600 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,089,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in 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 in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $3.42 on Wednesday, hitting $173.25. 2,633,246 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,922,785. The company has a market capitalization of $49.65 billion, a PE ratio of 28.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business's fifty day moving average is $201.75 and its 200 day moving average is $220.01. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of several recent research reports. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Raymond James downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.