Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by West Tower Group LLC

West Tower Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 81.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 1.0% of West Tower Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. West Tower Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $454,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. ProVise Management Group LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 46,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,541,000 after purchasing an additional 6,344 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 41,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 55,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after purchasing an additional 9,101 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,626,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of BDX opened at $232.12 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.