Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by CreativeOne Wealth LLC

CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,067,196,000 after acquiring an additional 184,288 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,437,161,000 after buying an additional 66,024 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,265,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $967,745,000 after purchasing an additional 267,436 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $198.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $193.03 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $220.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $228.58. 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 announced its earnings results 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 on 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. Insiders have sold a total of 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $915,986 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have 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, April 2nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective 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 on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $275.71.

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.