FIL Ltd Sells 8,362 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

FIL Ltd decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 75.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,362 shares during the period. FIL Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of BDX opened at $201.54 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $193.03 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company’s fifty day moving average is $223.97 and its 200 day moving average is $229.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,675 shares of company stock valued at $1,057,182. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.