S.A. Mason LLC Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

S.A. Mason LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.3 %

BDX opened at $247.63 on Monday. 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 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $250.91. The stock has a market cap of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 41.69, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day moving average of $230.53 and a 200-day moving average of $233.83.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.