Allianz SE Makes New Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Allianz SE purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,911 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,792,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,971,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 98,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $22,296,000 after purchasing an additional 16,529 shares during the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 116,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,484,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 16,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,664,000 after buying an additional 1,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 600,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $136,168,000 after acquiring an additional 39,162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $231.73.

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, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. The trade was a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate 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.