Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Purchases 1,738 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 117.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,738 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $729,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,437,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Equitable Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 7,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,734,000 after purchasing an additional 3,426 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $294,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson purchased 1,500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.62 per share, with a total value of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 5,423 shares of company stock worth $1,239,780 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.8 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $229.51 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. 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 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99.

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, beating 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, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

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.