PFG Investments LLC Sells 224 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

PFG Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 224 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $201,000. Regatta Capital Group LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 43,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,755,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.5% during the fourth quarter. Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. now owns 1,260 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $246.85 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.46. The stock has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $250.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

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 1.69%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

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.