Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. Has $2.50 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,394,000 after buying an additional 3,934 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 39.2% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,539 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 33,578 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,095,000 after acquiring an additional 2,155 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.2% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 3,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $857,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $230.14 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $233.05 and its 200-day moving average is $233.21. The firm has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.23, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

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 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 anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. 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 plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock 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 stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.