Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Has $1.19 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 243.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,251 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,721 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 93.1% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 2,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,729 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 38,347 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,272,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.96 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $232.27 and its 200 day moving average is $231.87. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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 permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler increased their target price on 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.