Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Acquires 649 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 6.1 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $208.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $204.95 and a 52-week high of $251.99. 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 50 day moving average price of $230.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.33.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its 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%. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “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.