Davidson Investment Advisors Sells 850 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Davidson Investment Advisors decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,786 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 850 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up 1.2% of Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $24,226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Good Life Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% during the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 6,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,040,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $224.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

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

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their target price 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

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.