Howe & Rusling Inc. Has $5.49 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Howe & Rusling Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,583 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $767,000. Busey Bank increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,382,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler boosted 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.95 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $232.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $65.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,865. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.