Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 236 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,062 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 236 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $29,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $230.63 on Friday. 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 cap of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.31, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $232.58 and a 200-day moving average of $232.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.