Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,267 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $968,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 357.2% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 13,854 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,143,000 after acquiring an additional 10,824 shares during the period. Numerai GP LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $471,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 12,085 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 20,588 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,671,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Obermeyer Wealth Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $430,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were 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 owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays cut their price target 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on 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. Seven equities 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.4%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $171.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $49.07 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $205.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.80.

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, 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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