Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Purchased by OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,588 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $3.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $175.37. 2,253,035 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,907,136. The business has a fifty day moving average of $204.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.34. The company has a market capitalization of $50.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $163.33 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,878 shares of company stock worth $636,393. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.