SageView Advisory Group LLC Buys Shares of 2,273 Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

SageView Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $516,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $252,000. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,778 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,219,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 6,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $784,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 61,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,989,000 after buying an additional 14,619 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $205.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $59.05 billion, a PE ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $193.03 and a 1 year high of $251.99. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $223.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $229.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. 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 share 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,675 shares of company stock worth $1,057,182. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.