King Luther Capital Management Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

King Luther Capital Management Corp cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.4% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their price target 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. Barclays increased 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 report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.65 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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 issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.10%.

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.