Arcus Capital Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Arcus Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 266 shares during the quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 128.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.9% during the third quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $224.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $64.60 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.45 and a 200 day moving average of $233.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.