The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Boosts Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,419,232 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 311,915 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.49% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $321,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.3% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 940 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,713 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 93.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 151,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,426,000 after buying an additional 73,108 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 309.0% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 47,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $11,443,000 after acquiring an additional 35,858 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday. William Blair cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 18.1 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $37.53 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $169.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,146,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,782,770. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $169.37 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $226.70. 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 stock has a market cap of $48.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

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 paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

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.