Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 495,076 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 7,159 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $112,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Good Life Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 33,045 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,967,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 5,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following 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 trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $224.89 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $232.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.73.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 announced that its board has initiated a stock 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.