Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 41,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,363 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in 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 valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,693,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,469.53. The trade was a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $232.12 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $66.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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, 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved 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 repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.