Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Position Raised by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 122.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 349,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 192,079 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company makes up approximately 1.9% of Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Magnetar Financial LLC owned about 0.12% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $79,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 81.6% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 270,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,439,000 after acquiring an additional 121,662 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $405,000. West Tower Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, ProVise Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 46,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,541,000 after acquiring an additional 6,344 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was 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 owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 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.