Aviso Financial Inc. Buys 1,632 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aviso Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,632 shares during the quarter. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,542,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $458,000. Aigen Investment Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.8% in the third quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 2,362 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $569,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 37.6% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $886,000 after buying an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective 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 raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

BDX opened at $222.65 on Friday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $232.82 and its 200 day moving average is $232.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.99, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock worth $1,676,105. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.