Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC Sells 248 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC trimmed its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,304 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 248 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.6% of Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Private Harbour Investment Management & Counsel LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 176,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $39,951,000 after buying an additional 20,859 shares during the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $767,000. Busey Bank increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Busey Bank now owns 66,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $15,031,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centre Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $8,382,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Barclays increased their target price 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, February 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $227.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $251.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.27 and its 200 day moving average is $231.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,808.01. This represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by 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.