361,483 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Purchased by Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC

Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 361,483 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $82,010,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Becton, Dickinson and Company as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 45,434 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,954,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,888 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,336,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 62,670 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,218,000 after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. This represents a 8.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded up $1.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $172.04. 4,158,051 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,903,289. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $205.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.80. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.58, 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 results 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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, May 6th. 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Raymond James downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.