Leavell Investment Management Inc. Sells 1,374 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,374 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Umpqua Bank raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) 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 research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. This represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.