PineStone Asset Management Inc. Has $187.29 Million Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

PineStone Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 825,533 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 11,593 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.8% of PineStone Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. PineStone Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.28% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $187,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 135,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,974,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265 shares in the last quarter. SFE Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 22,820 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. Phraction Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 47,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,668,000 after buying an additional 3,138 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 34,765 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,887,000 after acquiring an additional 3,855 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.89 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $232.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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.