Fosun International Ltd Sells 5,631 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fosun International Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 69.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,631 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises approximately 0.2% of Fosun International Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Fosun International Ltd's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $167.22 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $48.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $208.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.15. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business 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 company posted $3.17 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given 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 2.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits 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 management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut 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 research note on Tuesday. Barclays cut their price objective on 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. Raymond James lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.

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