5,534 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Acquired by Edgestream Partners L.P.

Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,534 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,255,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after acquiring an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,510,050,000 after purchasing an additional 111,101 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,293,635,000 after purchasing an additional 460,440 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,053,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $692,729,000 after buying an additional 66,873 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $647,082,000 after buying an additional 673,568 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.09 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.65. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program 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. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was 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 $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.