D.A. Davidson & CO. Buys 2,144 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 36,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,144 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Citizens & Northern Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 5,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,135,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 66.1% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 218,846 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $49,650,000 after acquiring an additional 87,091 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,871 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,348,000 after acquiring an additional 1,948 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $892,000. Finally, Americana Partners LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $225.11 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.64 billion, a PE ratio of 37.39, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $232.64 and its 200-day moving average is $233.54. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued 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 presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.