Evoke Wealth LLC Lowers Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Evoke Wealth LLC decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 746 shares during the quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Novare Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $227.84 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $232.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS 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 forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

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.