Mcdonald Partners LLC Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mcdonald Partners LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.89 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a market capitalization 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.54. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at $8,215,163.67. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.