Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 9,457 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 76.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,884 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 9,457 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8%

BDX traded up $3.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $175.37. 2,253,035 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,904,683. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $204.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.34. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. 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 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 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 company posted $3.17 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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. Raymond James lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $260.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven 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, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock valued at $636,393 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.