Venturi Wealth Management LLC Buys 1,650 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1,896.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,737 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average of $232.86 and a 200 day moving average of $233.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share 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 purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.