Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Holdings Lessened by Corient Private Wealth LLC

Corient Private Wealth LLC cut its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 244,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 44,773 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC owned 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $55,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $458,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 56,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,824 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 208.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 236,682 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,064,000 after acquiring an additional 160,073 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $226.43 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $65.02 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released 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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.