Waverly Advisors LLC Has $787,000 Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Waverly Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 127.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have 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 in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $3.10 on Tuesday, hitting $174.48. The stock had a trading volume of 2,010,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,932,323. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $197.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.17. The company has a market capitalization of $50.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, 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 released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Morgan Stanley decreased 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. Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.44.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.