AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Takes Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,930 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $892,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $224.89 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $232.60 and its 200-day moving average is $233.67.

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 return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,872,464.30. This trade represents a 23.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309 over the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.