Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 38.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,991 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,896 shares during the period. Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. S.A. Mason LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $345,000 after buying 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 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 last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $221.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5%

BDX traded down $0.82 on Friday, hitting $171.49. 1,950,782 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,932,008. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $198.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $218.65. 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 has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $49.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

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.