Fiera Capital Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fiera Capital Corp reduced its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,398,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 213,935 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.0% of Fiera Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Fiera Capital Corp owned approximately 0.48% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $317,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,344,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 34,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,887,000 after purchasing an additional 3,855 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 45,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,371,000 after purchasing an additional 16,537 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 36,306 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $481,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $225.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $232.36 and a 200 day moving average of $233.94.

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, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.