Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 1,251,742 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lowered its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,346,744 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,251,742 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned about 4.26% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $2,801,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $735,523,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $181,279,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $647,082,000 after acquiring an additional 673,568 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.7 %

BDX opened at $199.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $219.76 and a 200 day moving average of $227.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $193.03 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $57.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.22, 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.